The Garden

Paige Goldstein is a LinkedIn personal branding coach and digital nomad.

In today's episode, we sit down with Paige for a wide-ranging conversation about what it actually means to follow your intuition, why the biggest leaps rarely start as leaps, how to build a personal brand without turning it into a diary, and what it looks like to blend spirituality with genuine ambition.

Along the way, she walks us through her story, from a one hour commute in Boston that made her question everything, to booking a one way ticket to Hawaii with no real plan, to years of digital nomad life across Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Europe, and eventually Cape Town, South Africa.

She describes the breathwork session that led her to quit her corporate job within a week, the "dark night of the soul" that followed, and how writing through it openly on LinkedIn became the foundation of the business she runs today.

Key Moments and Highlights:

• The moment she knew corporate wasn't for her
• The "black sheep vs. unicorn pioneer" reframe
• Booking a one way ticket to Hawaii with no real plan
• Why intuition gets louder the more you ignore it
• The breathwork session that led her to quit within a week
• Her path through Hawaii, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Europe, and Cape Town
• Where to draw the line between vulnerability and oversharing on a personal brand
• "Cringe Mountain" and the limiting beliefs exercise she still does today
• Blending spirituality and business through "ambitious zen"
• Getting intentional about your personal brand

This was such a fun one to record. Paige has this rare mix of being fully herself online while also having a genuinely sharp business mind, and that balance came through in almost everything she said. Grateful she took the time to share her story.

Thanks for listening.

Be Where Your Feet Are.

Follow Paige Goldstein:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paigegoldstein

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paigegoldstein_

Website: https://www.betherippleeffect.com/

Follow Drew Korf:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewkorf/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drew.korf

Follow The Garden:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegarden.podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegarden.podcast

Episode Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:31 The one hour communte trap

2:42 The "black sheep vs. unicorn pioneer" mindset

7:16 Booking a one way ticket to Hawaii

10:29 Why intuition gets louder if ignored

16:48 The breathwork session that led her to quit within a week

20:50 The digital nomad path

33:34 Vulnerability vs. oversharing in a personal brand

40:37 "Cringe Mountain" and the limiting beliefs exercise

50:00 Blending spirituality and business: "ambitious zen"

1:19:10 The 4 Hour Workweek & micro retirements

1:25:06 Being intentional about personal branding

Mark Shiiba is a singer-songwriter, and Navy veteran who left a career supervising nuclear reactors to write songs full-time.

In today's episode, we sit down with Mark in Huntington Beach, California for a wide-ranging conversation about identity, grief, and the quiet whisper that pulls you toward your calling.

During the chat, Mark walks us through growing up one of five kids and building his early identity as a soccer player, following his brother to the Naval Academy, and supervising a nuclear reactor on an aircraft carrier in the South China Sea. He shares how getting out of the Navy at 28 to commit fully to songwriting led him to walk 90 miles down the California coast to release a single, and eventually onto the stage of The Voice, where he earned Michael Bublé's Coach Replay.

Throughout the conversation, he highlights the quiet "whisper" that's guided every version of his identity, how losing his mom reshaped his relationship with songwriting, and why he's come to see creativity less as a gift he was given and more as one he gets to give away.

Key Moments and Highlights:- Walking 90 miles down the California coast to release his song "Walking"

- Growing up one of five kids and finding early identity through soccer

- Playing youth soccer alongside future USMNT star Christian Pulisic

- Following his brother to the Naval Academy to play college soccer

- Supervising a nuclear reactor on an aircraft carrier in the South China Sea

- The first time he ever played guitar for strangers, at a church camp

- Leaving the Navy at 28 to commit fully to songwriting- Auditioning for The Voice and earning Michael Bublé's Coach Replay

- Losing his mom to cancer, and turning to music to heal- Creating "Song Portraits," original songs written for one person at a time

- Building Shiiba Village, the fan-supported home for his music

- Redefining creativity as a gift you give, not one you're given

This was a deeply reflective conversation with one of the most intentional artists I've met. Hope you dig it.

Thanks for listening.

Be Where Your Feet Are.

Follow Mark Shiiba:Website: https://markshiiba.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markshiibamusic/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4GwrlLHprqqy29GK9JnmY9

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/mark-shiiba/1497421560

Follow Drew Korf:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewkorf/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drew.korf

Follow The Garden:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegarden.podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegarden.podcast

Mentioned in this episode:Mark's Walking Tour: https://markshiiba.com/walking-tour

Song Portrait: https://markshiiba.com/song-portrait

Shiiba Village (support Mark's music): https://markshiiba.com/shiiba-village

Episode Chapters:0:00 Intro0:22

The 90-mile walking tour down the coast

11:31 Growing up one of five, and finding identity through soccer

16:04 Following his brother to the Naval Academy

17:30 Supervising a nuclear reactor in the South China Sea

42:10 The first time he played guitar for strangers

59:14 Leaving structure behind: from athlete to full-time artist

1:05:46 Losing his mom, and healing through songwriting1:24:31 Auditioning for The Voice

1:27:35 Song Portraits: writing songs for one person at a time

1:44:00 Shiiba Village and creativity as a gift you give

1:59:03 Being "a crack in the door"

Tyler Wombles is the founder and head coach of Classic Fight Team in Huntington Beach, California.

In today's episode, we sit down with Tyler in Orange County for a wide-ranging conversation about building a career and a life in the fight game, starting from the dive bars of Huntington Beach to cornering world title fighters.

During the chat, Tyler walks us through growing up in a rough side of HB, finding martial arts as a teenager, and using it as a lifeline when everything else was pulling him toward a very different path. He shares what it was like to inherit a kids' class at 17, then getting thrown into coaching UFC-level talent just a few years later. Throughout the conversation, he highlights what it means to be selfless in a sport built on selfishness and how his son on the way is about to change everything.

Key Moments and Highlights:

- Growing up a "pool table baby" in Huntington Beach

- Discovering K-1 and Muay Thai

- Getting kicked out of school and doubling down on training

- A close-call that changed everything

- Coaching Spencer Fisher and seeing the reality of the fight game early

- Working with world-class athletes and adopting to their styles

- The difference between a fighter's ego and a coach's selflessness

- Front Porch Art and creating with his dad

- A baby boy arriving in one month

This was an awesome conversation with one of the most real dudes I've ever met. Hope you dig it.

Thanks for listening.

Be Where Your Feet Are.

Follow Classic Fight Team:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classicfightteam/

Follow Drew Korf:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewkorf/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drew.korf

Follow The Garden:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegarden.podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegarden.podcast

Episode Chapters:

0:00 Intro

19:13 Tyler's background: growing up in Huntington Beach

30:07 The jail stint and the night everything changed

41:32 Coaching Spencer Fisher at the UFC level

46:47 Tony Ferguson and how Classic Fight Team took off

51:23 Mountaintop moments and goals as a coach

55:05 Fighter's ego vs. coach's selflessness

1:07:18 Front Porch Art and creating with his dad

1:15:16 A baby on the way

1:29:19 What success really means

Felipe and Chelsie Fogolin are the founders and coaches at Triunfo Jiu Jitsu and MMA in Costa Mesa, California.

In today's episode, we sit down with Felipe and Chelsie at their academy for a wide-ranging conversation about building a gym, a marriage, and a culture from the ground up over 15 years.

Along the way, Felipe walks us through coming to America from Brazil with almost nothing, becoming a father at 19, and finding his way through jujitsu. Chelsie shares how she left a good corporate job to go all-in on something she believed in over something that just made sense financially. Together, they talk about what it actually takes to build a life on your own terms.

Key Moments and Highlights:

- Chelsie's early success as a personal trainer

- Felipe leaving law school in Brazil to follow his heart

- The "Craigslist gym" era, & why people trained at Triunfo in the early days

- Setting ego aside and doing whatever it takes to make your dream work

- The "Flexible Personality"

- Surviving a super gym opening next door

- Yoga and mindfulness practices

- The Willingly or Unwillingly matra

- Building a business with your spouse

- Living on your own terms

This conversation was such a pleasure to have, and it's clear why Chelsie and Felipe have created one of the best gyms in the country.Thanks for listening.

Be Where Your Feet Are.

Follow Triunfo Jiu Jitsu and MMA:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/triunfomma/?hl=en

Website: https://www.triunfomma.com/

Follow Drew Korf:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewkorf/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drew.korf

Follow The Garden:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegarden.podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegarden.podcast

Episode Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:36 Chelsie's background: from fitness to finance to California

9:19 Felipe's story: Brazil, law school, and following his heart

11:19 A baby, $200, and no turning back

18:34 Building the gym while working nights and weekends

26:21 "Willingly or unwillingly"

28:35 The competing gym that opened next door

32:07 Sadhguru and the practices that changed everything

36:27 Flexible personality and building culture

54:44 The gym as a sanctuary and third home

1:03:47 Building a business with your spouse

1:12:27 Living on your own terms

Emily Brimlow is a singer-songwriter and touring artist.

In today's episode, we sit down with Emily in Laguna Beach, California for a wide-ranging conversation about what it actually means to be rich, the spiritual war happening around us, staying humble on the way to success, and why being "in on the joke" might be the most important thing a creative can do.

Along the way, she walks us through her story where she discovered her voice in a cow field at 16, and has spent the years since building a music career from the ground up. She describes living in minivans, couch surfing in California, getting playlisted on Spotify out of nowhere, and chasing her calling to where she's at today.

Key Moments and Highlights:

- Winning a high school talent show with an original diss track

- Why the music industry is quietly anti-family

- Getting married at 21 after a few months of knowing Nathan

- Blowing up on Spotify

- Why "tripping off a small curb constantly" beats "falling off a big cliff once"

- Spirituality, demons, and angels

- Being in on the joke and why it's the key to humility & creation

This conversation was such a pleasure to have, and I'm thrilled to introduce you to Emily if you haven't heard of her or her music. She played a massive part in making our podcast trip to California (and the next 3 episodes) possible, and the team and I are so grateful!

Thanks for listening.

Be Where Your Feet Are.

Follow Emily Brimlow:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilybrimlow/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ncA0WGi828yjhqmvHsJRj?si=w8zmsOzuSaSAgx_hhIbYtQ

Follow Drew Korf:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewkorf/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drew.korf

Follow The Garden:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegarden.podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegarden.podcast

Episode Chapters:0:00 Intro

0:09 The high school talent show

7:34 When music first felt truly rewarding

14:10 Nathan: the backbone behind the career

18:53 You don't have to do it alone first

29:13 People are the main thing

35:33 Moving to Austin and building community from scratch

38:10 Blowing up on Spotify

48:34 Spirituality: from Christian missions to living in the gray

1:00:09 Young Life, & spiritual encounters

1:10:50 Faith and why creatives need it most

1:13:09 Emily's purpose and the ripple effect of authenticity

1:16:55 What are you striving for right now?

1:21:02 Being in on the joke

Chandler and Lindsey Griffin are co-owners of By All Means Brewing in Billings, Montana.

In today's episode, we sit down with Chandler and Lindsey at the BAM taproom for a wide-ranging conversation about entrepreneurship, partnership, hospitality, and what it actually costs to build something worth keeping.

Key Moments and Highlights:

- Opening a brewery 90 days before the world shut down

- What Disney taught us about training our staff

- The difference between service and hospitality

- Building a distribution company from scratch

- Nobody will ever care about your business as much as you

- Involving your spouse in your startup

- Raising kids inside a business

- What does success actually look like?

- Don't quit during the survival chapter

If you've ever questioned whether the fight is worth it, or wondered what it really takes to build something alongside the person you love, this one is for you.

Thanks for listening!

Be Where Your Feet Are.

Follow By All Means Brewing:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byallmeansbrewing/

Website: https://byallmeansbeer.com/

Follow Drew Korf:

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/drewkorf/

Follow The Garden:

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thegarden.podcast/

Show Chapters: 0:00 Welcome and Introduction

2:31 What business are you actually in?

11:12 Service vs. Hospitality

19:11 The Origin Story of BAM

32:31 Opening During Covid

32:13 Baptism by Fire

47:37 Building Our Distribution Company

46:27 25-Year Vision Over Quick Exits

1:12:22 Why Your Spouse Is Your Greatest Asset

1:32:15 Facing the Mountain Together as a Couple

1:22:09 Raising Kids Inside a Business

1:22:09 Developing Your Children, Not Just Your Company

1:41:14 Before You Put Money In, Know You'll Do Everything

1:48:35 What Does Success Actually Mean?

1:53:51 Hardship Is the Training, Not the Obstacle

1:49:57 Don't Quit: Why Year Six Changes Everything

Ty Leary is a serial entrepreneur, former pro athlete, pilot, and all-around connoisseur of life.

In today's episode we explore what a "rich life" actually looks like. Ty grew up blue collar, raced pro motocross, built and exited businesses, hand-built his own home, and flies his own plane... yet all of his success was reframed when he almost lost the most important thing to him during some of his mountaintop moments.

In this episode, we sit down with Ty in Lewistown, Montana for a wide-ranging conversation about time, identity, sacrifice, the things that matter, and what it actually means to earn the life you want.

Key Moments and Highlights:

• Why time is your most precious commodity
• Sacrificing for the dream vs. letting the dream become the sacrifice
• How dyslexia and a counselor who said "kids like you don't succeed" became jet fuel
• Leaving a dream engineering job while getting promoted
• The identity trap: why attaching who you are to what you do will always leave you empty
• The wake-up call that nearly cost him his marriage, and how it changed his life
• Building a $3M house with his own hands

• The "man in the other room" principle and how to stop settling
• What unconditional love actually looks like in a men's group, a marriage, and a friendship
• How to know when you're giving vs. extracting, and why it matters
• Writing a letter to your 8-year-old self as the only performance review that matters

If you've ever felt the pull between chasing what you want and showing up for the people who matter most, this one's for you. Ty is one of the most inspirational people I've been around, and I hope you find as many takeaways from this one as I did!

Thanks for listening.

Be Where Your Feet Are.

Follow Ty Leary:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyleary212/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ty.leary.7/

Follow Drew Korf:

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/drewkorf/⁠

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@drew.korf⁠

Follow The Garden:

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thegarden.podcast/⁠

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@thegarden.podcast

Show Chapters:

0:00: Time Is Your Most Precious Commodity

3:36: How to Actually Balance Time

8:51: Dividing Yourself Among Your Responsibilities

11:31: Learning to Work With Intention

15:18: Getting Told "You Can't"

22:13: Who Are You Without Your Titles?

22:42: Contrarian by Nature

22:58: Self-Love and Self-Talk

23:54: Why Achievements Never Fully Fulfill You

34:17: Leaving a Dream Job

44:21: Sacrificing for the Dream

51:20: Earning vs. Wanting

1:06:16: Building for Utility

1:06:41: Gratitude for the Small Things

1:13:25: The Man in the Other Room

1:15:54: Giving vs. Extracting Everything

1:17:16: Unconditional Love

1:31:32: The Wake-Up Call

1:42:26: What a Rich Life Actually Means

1:46:32: Write a Letter to Your 8-Year-Old Self

Jack Wagoner is the host of The Grateful Podcast.

In today's podcast, we explore comparison, identity development, and Jack’s framework for Resonance, the “duality of gratitude and ambition."

Key Moments and Highlights:

- What it's like starting a podcast

- Moving to France alone at 16

- Falling in love with yourself during the Lonely Chapter

- Serving vs. Extracting

- Trusting the "What" and letting the "How" unfold

- The Knowing vs. Doing gap

- One commonality of all high performers

Thank you for tuning into the first remote episode with one of my favorite up and coming podcasters! Hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did.

Be Where Your Feet Are,

Drew

Follow Jack and The Grateful Podcast

Jack's IG: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/

Jack's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-wagoner-speaker/

The Grateful Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/thegratefulpodcast/

The Grateful Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@jack_wagoner

Follow Drew Korf:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewkorf/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drew.korf

Follow The Garden:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegarden.podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegarden.podcast

Show Chapters

00:00 Why Start A Podcast?

01:35 Excuses and Starting Late

03:15 Just Hit Record

06:06 Moving to France Alone

08:25 Discipline and Self Trust

09:44 Lonely Chapter

12:13 Comparison and Identity

18:40 Gratitude Meets Ambition

20:55 Resonance

22:46 Business & Personal Development

26:21 Hard Moments Create Breakthroughs

31:35 Serving Versus Ego

34:24 Giving & Mentors

38:37 Ripple Effect

41:11 The Followers Trap

42:42 Let Go of the "How"

46:30 Trust

49:18 Action Beats Perfection

52:17 Mentorship

55:18 Knowing vs. Doing Gap

01:01:03 Meet Your Heroes

01:05:36 Traits of High Performers

01:08:59 Vision

01:12:57 Where to Find Jack

Levi Wanner is the founder of Inifinity Homes.

In today's episode, Levi shares lessons from building Infinity Homes to a regional company building 60+ homes per year in multiple markets. He shares his personal and professional lessons throughout his career including surviving the 2008 crash, becoming a new father, gaining and losing weight, and expanding throughout the Northwest.

Key Lessons and Insights:

- Being yourself is your best sales asset

- Balancing being a dad and a business owner

- 75 Hard and physical health

- Power Lists and prioritization

- Destroying analysis paralysis through numbers

- Core values and SOP's

- Investing in coaching and mentors

Thanks for listening!

Be Where Your Feet Are.

Follow Levi:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leviwanner/

Follow The Garden

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/pressedforpresence/⁠⁠⁠⁠

TikTok:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@pressedforpresence⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Drew Korf:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/drewkorf/⁠⁠⁠⁠

TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@drew.korf

Show Chapters:

00:00 Context

02:09 People First

03:14 Infinity Homes Origin

04:28 Expanding Across Montana

05:37 Authenticity

12:56 Early Career And Family

19:25 Surviving The 2008 Crash

20:51 Stress And Staying Focused

28:35 From Realtor To Builder

29:42 Speed Beats Overthinking

30:31 Beating Analysis Paralysis

32:55 Tunnel Vision

34:10 Balance?

39:31 Power Lists

44:59 Health Wake Up Call

49:40 Time Management

55:52 Expanding to New Markets

01:00:14 Core Values

01:03:31 Leading by Example

01:04:24 Lifestyle

01:06:23 Systems Beat Hustle

01:10:40 Coaching

01:15:12 Tribe and Community

01:18:55 Defining Success and Growth

01:22:10 Staying Grounded

01:26:44 Giving Back

01:30:23 Advice for Getting Started

Shane Perry is a custom home builder and firefighter in Billings, Montana.

In this episode, Shane talks about how hard work and failing forward has been a constant theme throughout the chapters in his life, and how those two practices have led him to success in everything from college sports to business.

Key Highlights:- How growing up on a ranch with entrepreneurial parents shapes work ethic

- Going from D1 walk-on to earning significant playing time

- Being medically retired from football and reversing the downward spiral that resulted from it

- Firefighting creating extreme humility

- Going from no experience to making the leap to GC in the construction industry

- Ultramarathons and having something hard to pursue at all times

Shane is the kind of guy who wants to see everyone around him win, and his energy is contagious. I'm thrilled to share his story with you and hope you have as many takeaways from it as I did.

Thanks for listening.Be Where Your Feet Are.

Follow Shane & Perry Built:Shane's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_shaneperry/

Perry Built's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perrybuiltllc/

Show Chapters:00:00 Growing Up Ranching

03:16 Entrepreneurial Parents

04:25 Football

09:11 Walking On to a D1 Program

11:16 Bozeman MT

14:00 Medically Retired From Football

21:09 Identity Crisis

25:36 Fire Service and New Purpose

30:30 Ultramarathons

32:40 Zion 100K Ultra

44:40 Lessons That Stick

48:28 Chasing Annual Ultras

49:45 Firefighting

52:24 Humility (Get Up & Walk!)

56:20 Construction

01:02:45 Mentors

01:07:32 Next Play Mentality

01:08:29 What's The Worst Case?

01:10:05 Process Over Outcome

01:13:00 Separating Your Days

01:17:14 Small Wins

01:20:50 Gratitude And Faith

01:24:54 Starting Perry Built

01:28:51 Imposter Syndrome

01:32:53 Curiosity Beats Ego

01:41:38 Keep Going

01:45:38 Final Sign Off