Mere Mortals Conversations

Let's help Juan find some excitement in the daily grind!

In Episode #501 of 'Meanderings', Juan and I discuss: the shifting meaning of “adventure” across seasons of life, adventure beyond skydiving (think ballet classes, new walking routes, digital art experiments and structured learning), how vicarious adventures through kids or friends can scratch the itch without derailing priorities, a note on podcasting 2.0’s KeySend/LNURL Lightning shift and practical ideas to add novelty without burning your foundations.

Huge thanks to Petar for the support, much appreciated!
 
Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortals

Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:17) Framing adventure and seasons of life
(00:05:21) Reality check: priorities, phases and filtering ideas
(00:09:41) Broadening experiences: ballet, novelty without risk
(00:15:42) Travel temptations vs relationship goals
(00:18:57) Miniadventures and planning around family life
(00:23:03) Designing doable novelty: tracks, cafes and small switches
(00:29:56) Tiny tweaks to shake patterns: routes, movement, mindset
(00:32:38) Routine builds longterm payoffs
(00:36:00) Boostagram Lounge
(00:41:39) Swapping motivation for systems: dating, friends and classes
(00:47:16) Big projects as adventures: the gym dream and obsession
(00:53:03) Finding excitement in small stakes: digital art and curiosity
(00:54:56) Living history: AI race, power and echoes of the space race
(01:02:11) Perspective at the park: Luma Lads, comparison and gratitude
(01:08:09) Wrapup: comments, Discord and socials 

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

An easy update from the Mere Mortals podcast on what the future holds for us + the focus to come.

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReU
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

He’s sold over $6 million in high-ticket offers, worked with the top names in the industry, and built a community of closers who actually win, not just talk about it.

In this conversation, Orlando Santucci breaks down the formulas, philosophies and frameworks that drive consistent results.

https://closerscult.com/

00:00 – Who knows you, who you know (why attention matters)
02:19 – From Macca’s & uni to first sales role (Jason Capital ad)
03:03 – “Oh... I’m in sales” moment
08:50 – Energy vs Skill: 60/40 of closing
10:06 – “Chill closer” mindset (personality-based tactics)
11:27 – The CLOSES Framework
12:50 – The Overview: how to prevent objections before they happen
15:13 – Identity-based labelling (and the ethics behind it)
21:52 – High-ticket shift: moving from hourly grind to performance pay
27:27 – Building an ecosystem: community, referrals, placements
32:17 – Pricing, fulfilment and scaling Close Is Call
41:51 – Orlando’s 5-year vision & what “life maxing” really means
43:11 – Where to find Orlando

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReU
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

We have reached half a (MIL)estone so let's give it a half assed effort!

In Episode #500 of 'Meanderings', Juan & I discuss: six years of podcasting, the origin story of why we originally started, stats and highlights across YouTube and audio, mishaps (spiders, dead mics, random street cameos), how our focus on value has changed over the years, community shout-outs (thanks for the surprise cake, Mum!), the lessons learned from interviews and long-form chats and why we’ve kept ads out of the show, what “doubling down” means for us, clearer topic lanes across our channels (tech, AI, books, art, fitness) and staying open, decentralised and listener-supported while the tech and monetisation landscape evolves. 

Huge thanks to Cole McCormick for the support, absolute legend!

Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortals

Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:01) Origins in 2019 & splitting channels
(00:03:59) Going live & cake
(00:05:02) Stats time: YouTube vs podcast numbers and history
(00:10:02) Throwback: Mere Mortals challenges and early experiments
(00:14:40) Shifting away from chasing numbers & Value
(00:19:13) Format choices: long form, low edits and creator trade‑offs
(00:23:20) Personal archives: NFT's & Old Clips
(00:29:38) Audience vs creator value & peak effort era
(00:35:12) Guest pitches and curation
(00:36:57) Boostagram Lounge
(00:40:22) Support models ahead: value for value, subscriptions and tech shifts
(00:43:53) Advertising, AI & Governments
(00:49:19) Doubling down: personal life over production
(00:51:43) Segmenting interests: tech, AI, art, books, and fitness channels
(00:56:19) Concrete plans: more conversations and remote interviews
(01:00:19) Confidence to reach out: lining up future guests
(01:03:50) Skills to build: live speaking and community events
(01:08:50) Travel networks vs local communities: effort vs payoff
(01:10:54) Sign‑off: six years in, 20k unique listeners and thanks

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

Is the real world actually shaped for social interaction!?

In Episode #499 of 'Musings', Juan & I discuss: 2 x books of Susan Cain’s 'Quiet' alongside Paul McKenna’s 'Instant Influence & Charisma', the quiet revolution of introverts rising up, what the book gets right (high reactivity, Big Five personality traits, pseudo‑extroversion), whether energy is the true differentiator, why environments like open‑plan offices and classrooms may suit the loud but don’t always produce the best work or learning, Juan's immense distaste of charisma hacks (power poses, havening), how confidence can be generated from practice rather than posture & how culture shapes what “good” interaction looks like.

Huge thanks to Petar for the support, greatly appreciated!

Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortals

Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:04) Two Books: Quiet by Susan Cain and Instant Influence & Charisma by Paul McKenna
(00:05:03) What would a mostly introverted world look like?
(00:06:10) Key claims: IQ parity, persistence, and high reactivity
(00:08:45) Biology tidbits: lemon test, Big Five, and old pseudoscience
(00:10:56) How many introverts? Pseudoextroverts and the energy question
(00:13:38) Definitions matter: the books late caveat on introvert/extrovert
(00:17:46) Workplaces: open plan offices, productivity and culture
(00:23:43) Matching space to work: dev focus vs relationship roles
(00:26:27) Homes and schools: nooks, group work, and when quiet helps
(00:29:38) Socialisation as a skill independent of introversion
(00:32:59) Group dynamics: one on one comfort and smallgroup awkwardness
(00:36:36) Boostagram Lounge
(00:40:56) Would we thrive in an introvert ideal culture? Asia chat
(00:41:21) Paul McKennas charisma: influence recap and power poses
(00:46:43) Do power poses work? State vs posture, confidence from within
(00:51:27) Baselines, triggers and practical state management
(00:54:11) Skills, reps and mini goals beat quick fixes
(00:58:38) Trophies vs generators: focus on process over outcomes
(01:01:11) Milestones, episode counts and wrapup

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

It's time for our monthly check in where we review our goals from last month and see what's coming up for the next.

Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first week of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the shortcomings; what we didn't achieve in the previous monthly goals and how we will fix that for the month that comes. We hope you get some value from this series, showcasing our own methodology. What do you do differently and why?

Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortals

Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:45) Juan's October 2025 Recap
(00:05:46) Kyrin's October 2025 Recap
(00:16:00) Support Overview
(00:17:05) Juan's November 2025 Goals
(00:23:43) Kyrin's November 2025 Goals
(00:36:10) V4V

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

If you wish you could have let yourself been happier, then why didn't you?

In Episode #498 of 'Musings', Juan & discuss: advice we’d give to our 20-something selves after a decade of lessons, cringeworthy moments that come closest to genuine regret, why regret often intensifies closer to life’s end, the feedback loop of could-have-beens, when remorse is useful versus when it’s self-punishment, being more selfish about building skills and character, obsessively detailed on what you truly care about, applying first-principles/engineering thinking beyond work, investigating emotions two or three layers deeper, being strict on yourself and kinder to others, how to nurture confidence without creating monsters and why striving to be “uncommon” is easier to dial back than trying to switch it on later. 

Huge shoutout to Magnolia Mayhem for the support, thank you so much!

Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortals

Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:26) Context setting & Petar's note
(00:05:36) Defining regret by cringe
(00:09:41) Deathbed regrets and when advice isnt enough
(00:12:57) Framing the advice: not just information
(00:21:07) Advice 1 (Juan): Be more selfish about skills and character
(00:27:02) Counterpoint (Kyrin): More selflessness and meaningful connection
(00:33:58) Boostagram Lounge: value-for-value support and listener message
(00:38:56) Advice 2 (Kyrin): Effort solves problems with thoughtfulness
(00:42:09) Advice 3 (Juan): Get obsessive about what you truly care about
(00:45:34) Emotional investigations: tracing feelings to root causes
(00:50:12) Think like an engineer: first principles beyond the lab and gym
(00:55:18) Working on virtues: honesty, courage, discipline
(00:57:03) Be strict with yourself, kinder to others
(01:00:54) Confidence and the hype man effect
(01:03:06) Become uncommon & cultivating the monster wisely
(01:11:04) Wrap-up & V4V

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

After 15 years in law, Mel Storey walked away to build Career Big Sis, a movement helping ambitious professionals back themselves, set boundaries, and take the first step even when they can’t see the whole staircase.

We go deep on burnout, the moment everything broke after Covid, rebuilding with a mental health plan, and the practical maths she used to leave corporate safely. This one’s honest, useful, and fiercely encouraging.

00:00 – Welcome & why this conversation matters
01:45 – 15 years in law → leaving corporate
08:22 – The moment of freedom: VidCon & creative permission
10:47 – “Could I make money not as a lawyer?” Optionality & identity
12:29 – Covid, quarantine, and the slide into anxiety & depression
15:26 – GP, mental health plan, psychologist & treatment
17:13 – 2021 crisis → the breaking point & leaving law
18:59 – Regret, shame, returning part-time
24:32 – What clients really need: confidence, not tactics
25:55 – Networking, intros & fear of applying
26:40 – “Throw your hat in the ring” (process over perfection)
27:41 – You don’t need the whole staircase; just the first step
32:06 – Minimum baseline & runway: the quitting calculus
33:40 – Savings, lifestyle inflation & backup plans
37:25 – Seasons, super & why fallback ≠ failure
39:15 – Dad’s ultimatum: “I’ll be disappointed if you don’t try.”
41:19 – The 80-year-old self filter (no regrets)
44:23 – Tough love for grads: cold calls & action
45:49 – Mel’s BD moves: QR cards & “Career Big Sis” cookies
56:45 – Money vs meaning: choosing flexibility & creative work
1:01:25 – How Mel posts & shares her story online
1:07:10 – Wrap up, socials & closing reflections

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReU
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

The three fundamentals of lifestyle, action & communication.

In Episode #497 of 'Musings', Juan & I discuss: the core idea of “true confidence” versus the old-school “fake it till you make it confidence” pickup playbook, startling a girl at the gym, how polarisation beats bland small talk, whether beginners sometimes need the “false confidence” phase to accrue the experiences that later support authenticity, why intent and adaptability matter more than scripts, the value of becoming excellent at something you love and how to balance strategic awareness with honest expression.

Huge shoutout to Cole McCormick for the support, very much appreciated!

Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortals

Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:53) Mark Manson's Models: background, blogging days and pickup context
(00:04:54) False confidence vs true confidence
(00:08:33) Three pillars: honest lifestyle, honest action, honest communication
(00:12:55) Kyrin's journey: from late starter to learning via pickup playbooks
(00:16:45) Advice from the top of the mountain vs beginner-friendly steps
(00:18:36) Metrics and outcomes: approaches, numbers, dates, and what actually matters
(00:21:50) Attraction & age
(00:31:30) Boostagram Lounge: AI as authority, crowd wisdom, and cautious use
(00:35:29) Honest lifestyle: hygiene, fitness, fashion and living for yourself
(00:40:42) Optimising lifestyle for dating vs for self-alignment
(00:46:47) Honest action: courage, anxiety and desensitisation via reps
(00:50:21) Flow state approaches and environment effects
(00:53:00) Polarisation over blandness: getting real reactions
(00:56:40) Language gaps, wordplay and making conversations less bland
(01:00:04) Honest communication: intent, games and assertiveness
(01:03:22) Short-term vs long-term communication styles and intent
(01:06:21) Pure honesty vs strategy: how far to plan interactions
(01:11:41) Personal hurdles: eye contact, smiling, and difficult topics
(01:15:06) Final take on Models: OK book, actionable lists veer into game
(01:17:52) Curiosity: reading the female-perspective playbooks next
(01:21:33) What is actually attractive? Avoid over-optimising the wrong signals

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

Guest:
Sheridan — Owner/Head Coach, SUB 60 Coorparoo.
Best contact: Instagram DMs (search “Sub 60 Coorparoo”)

Sheridan (owner of SUB 60 Coorparoo) breaks down the reality of launching a hybrid gym: building a true community, programming for all levels, and grinding through 8 classes a day while raising a family. We cover HYROX ambitions, why she chose versatile equipment (yes, cables in a “functional” gym), what actually drives growth (referrals), and how to “find your own sub-60” — whatever that means for you.

(00:00) Intro & Sheridan’s background (gymnastics → triathlon)
(02:30) Parenting, kids’ sport & role modelling
(04:09) The spark to open a gym (community first)
(05:03) Vision: hybrid training, not pigeon-holed
(06:01) Not just HYROX — who SUB 60 is for
(07:04) Coaching philosophy: “I actually care”
(11:11) Chasing ‘sub-60’ at HYROX Sydney: pressure & payoff
(13:39) Why she chose one supplier & the all-black/orange look
(16:17) The hardest part: coach vs owner energy, 8 classes/day
(23:00) Cables in a “functional” gym & smarter regressions
(24:53) Equipment rundown (sleds, rigs, ropes, space)
(26:01) Expansion mindset: “this isn’t the only one”
(30:29) Cleanliness is a competitive advantage (and who cleans)
(31:08) Community mechanics: chat groups, no cliques, all in
(33:54) Opening day (30 Aug) — emotion & sold-out sessions
(40:16) Referrals & paid ads; how she markets daily
(48:56) Why try SUB 60: find your sub-60

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReU
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast