Most people meet their doctor in an exam room. I met mine at the edge of a breaking point she didn’t even know she’d been carrying for years.

Dr. Jill Kruse grew up wanting to save lives for one simple reason: she didn’t want to lose her mother. She entered medicine the way so many elite performers do — head down, high achieving, fueled by good intentions and impossible standards. She pushed. She excelled. She endured.

And then life stopped asking politely.

Call every other night. A newborn and a toddler at home. A tiny rural town held together by two doctors, two PAs, and a pager that never slept.She kept giving.The job kept taking.And one day, her husband said the quiet part out loud:

“You’re killing yourself slowly.”

That’s the moment every physician fears.That’s the moment every high performer recognizes.And that’s the moment this conversation turns from résumé to truth.

This episode is about what happens when the life you fought to build becomes the life that’s quietly breaking you. It’s about the courage to walk away from a calling without abandoning the purpose underneath it. It’s about burnout, identity, the stigma of asking for help, and the freedom that shows up when you finally decide the cost of staying is higher than the cost of change.

But more than anything, it’s about this:

The heart feeds itself first — and you need to start doing the same.

Dr. Kruse’s story isn’t about quitting medicine.It’s about choosing herself.And it’s a roadmap for any elite performer who has forgotten that they’re allowed to do the same.

IN THIS EPISODE:

--What really pushes a physician to the edge (it’s not what you think)

--The truth about burnout inside medicine — the part nobody talks about

--Why high achievers wait too long to ask for help

--What happens when you realize a career won’t love you back

--How to reclaim identity without burning your life down

--The power of coaching when counseling feels risky

--The heart-first lesson every elite performer needs to hear

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

->Burnout isn’t failure. It’s the body calling for honesty.

->You can love your work and still decide it’s costing you too much.

->Courage isn’t leaving. Courage is telling the truth.

->The life you want won’t appear while you’re drowning in the life you’ve outgrown.

->You deserve the same care you give everyone else.

WHAT’S NEXT?

If Jill’s story hits close to home (if you’re hiding the same exhaustion behind the same smile), this is your invitation to stop doing this alone.

Join the growing Normal 40 community to connect with like-minded individuals. Whether through a free Ramble, Lon's Insider group, or his bestselling book 'The Trade,' this episode is your call to action to start designing your next chapter.

Find it all right here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein

Learn more about Dr. Jill Kruse here: http://www.flight-time-medical.com/

https://www.prairiedoc.org/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com

What if the version of you you're trying to fix… isn’t broken?

What if the problem isn’t your motivation, your discipline, or your job…But the story you’ve been telling yourself to survive it?

In this episode, Lon sits down with Dr. Fredric Mau, a board-certified hypnotherapist and licensed mental health counselor who left a corporate career and stepped into one of the most unexpected and effective roles in human transformation.

Together, they explore the difference between talking about change and actually experiencing it.

They talk about emotion vs. cognition, trauma vs. strategy, and what it really means to engage the quiet part of your brain that’s been holding on to the weight, the fear, and the shame for far too long.

If you’ve ever said, “I know what to do, I just can’t seem to do it..." this episode is for you.

In This Episode:

--What hypnotherapy actually is (and isn’t)

--Why your problem isn’t laziness but limbic

--The emotional truth behind avoidance, drinking, overeating, and stagnation

--How trauma and stress get stored in the body

--Why most people stay stuck in old roles for too long

--What changes when you stop telling the same story and start feeling something new

Key Takeaways:

->You’re not stuck because you’re weak. You’re stuck because you’re human.

->Hypnotherapy isn’t about control. It’s about letting go.

->Most people don’t need more insight. They need a new pattern.

->Your limbic system has been solving problems long before your resume did.

->Change doesn’t feel like a decision. It feels like relief.What’s Next?

If you’ve ever wanted to try something different, but talked yourself out of it, this is your sign to explore the path you haven’t yet taken.

If this episode speaks to you, this is an invitation to join the growing Normal 40 community to connect with like-minded individuals. Whether through a free Ramble, Lon's Insider group, or his bestselling book 'The Trade,' this episode is your call to action to start designing your next chapter.

Find it all right here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein

Learn more about Dr. Frederic Mau here: https://watermarkcolumbia.com/ 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com

We spend decades chasing success—with our heads down and our priorities out of balance. Until one day… you look in the mirror, or see a photo of yourself, and something doesn’t match. Your body starts telling the truth your mind has been trying to outrun.

You’re tired more than you used to be.You sleep but you’re not rested.You’re not proud of how you look, and if you’re honest, you’re not proud of how you feel either.

In this episode, Lon sits down with men’s health coach Luke DePron, founder of The Fit Men Project, for a raw conversation about what it looks like to take your power back, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

They talk about the high-achieving men who show up late to the game, burned out, bloated, and frustrated, and how simple, sustainable habits (not extremes) are the secret to reclaiming energy, confidence, and control.

In This Episode:

->What high-performers get wrong about fitness, health, and sustainable change

->Why starting slow might be the fastest way to change your life

->The real reason men drink after work (and how to break the cycle)

->Why success often comes with weight gain and how to reverse it

->Why most people overshoot and burn out—and what to do instead

->Why walking is the most underrated exercise you’re not doing

->How to think about nutrition like a strategy, not a punishment

->The truth behind crash diets, keto, and 75 Hard and why most guys quit

Key Takeaways:

--Health isn’t about perfection. It’s about ownership.

--You don’t need a complete overhaul. You need a new rhythm.

--Don’t wait for a diagnosis, a photo, or a scare to wake you up.

--The most powerful thing you can do today is start.

What’s Next?

If you’re tired of feeling sluggish, frustrated, or disappointed in the mirror this is your sign to do something about it. 

If this episode speaks to you, this is an invitation to join the growing Normal 40 community to connect with like-minded individuals. Whether through a free Ramble, Lon's Insider group, or his bestselling book 'The Trade,' this episode is your call to action to start designing your next chapter.

Find it all right here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein

Follow Luke DePron here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fitmenproject/ 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com

Most of us do exactly what we were told to do: we work hard, climb the ladder, check the boxes, and live the life we set out to build. From the outside, it looks like success. But inside, many of us wrestle with the same silent question: “Is this it?”

In this conversation with Justin on Grody and Unprofessional, I go back to the beginning of my story—the moment I realized I had everything I thought I wanted, yet felt empty inside. We talk about:

Why I call myself a dude from the internet and why people trust me with the things they’ve never said out loud to anyone else.

The four-year arc from “Is this it?” to “My work here is done”—and how I finally had the courage to make The Trade.

The guilt and shame that comes from “having so much but feeling so little”—and why you’re not broken if you feel this way.

The 753 Rambles I’ve had with people at the edge of change, and the patterns that show up in every one of those conversations.

What leaders really want: not more money, but freedom, purpose, and a voice that sounds like their own.

Why “never lose your art” might be the most important advice you’ll ever hear.

This isn’t theory—it’s real life. And if you’ve ever looked around and wondered if you were meant for more, this episode will help you see that you’re not crazy, you’re not alone, and you’re one decision away from a radically different life.

Let’s be up to something.

🔁 What’s Next?

If this episode speaks to you, this is an invitation to join the growing Normal 40 community to connect with like-minded individuals. Whether through a free Ramble, Lon's Insider group, or his bestselling book 'The Trade,' this episode is your call to action to start designing your next chapter.

Find it all right here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein

Connect with Justin McMenamy here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcmenamy-59a6087a/

Find the Grody & Unprofessional podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grody-unprofessional/id1761211065

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com

At some point, your success starts to feel like a trap.

You’ve got the title, the money, the corner office—but something’s off.You’re restless. You’re starting to wonder, is this it?And no one around you seems to get it.

This episode is for you.

Lon and Adam are back to break down Lon’s next book, The Gap—the emotional, spiritual, and practical space between the life you’ve built and the life you know is still out there.

They dive deep into the 12 Ascents; the stages every elite provider must go through to move from the lower curve (the life they’ve outgrown) to the upper line (the life they want to build). These all are born from 1,000+ rambles Lon has had with people just like you.

What to Expect:

--What “The Gap” actually is and how to know if you’re in it

--Why most high performers flatline in their 40s (even while making more money)

--The real reason success can start to feel suffocating

--The hidden cost of someone else’s scorecard

--Why “freedom” is usually a mask for “I don’t want this anymore”

--The first 4 ascents: how to start, when to stop tolerating, and why clarity only comes through action

--Adam’s own journey and why reinvention doesn’t always mean quitting

Key Takeaways:

->Awareness → Acknowledgment → Acceptance → Permission → Action

->There’s a version of you you haven’t met yet, but you can feel them getting closer

->You don’t have to quit to start. But you do have to start if you ever hope to quit.

->Burn the scorecard they gave you. Write the one that’s yours.

->You’re not alone. But you have to get around people who make you believe it.

->The most important chapter of your life won’t be written by your boss.

🔁 What’s Next?

If this episode speaks to you, this is an invitation to join the growing Normal 40 community to connect with like-minded individuals. Whether through a free Ramble, Lon's Insider group, or his bestselling book 'The Trade,' this episode is your call to action to start designing your next chapter.

Find it all right here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein

Follow Adam Eaton here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-eaton-21646a4/ 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com

What happens when you’ve built a perfect résumé, then lose everything it stood for?

Laverne McKinnon was doing everything right.Climbing fast. Getting promoted every 18 months.She was a powerful voice behind some of the biggest shows on television—including CSI and Criminal Minds.

And then, one day, it all ended.

No warning. No performance plan. Just a quiet conversation behind closed doors… and a single word that changed everything:

Liability.

What followed was a collapse of identity, a decade of self-loathing, and a grief she didn’t yet have the words to name.She’d lost her job, her father, and her confidence—all at once.

But what she found, years later, was something even more powerful:A second résumé.A deeper calling.And a new kind of freedom she never thought she'd earn.

This conversation is one of the most human episodes we’ve ever recorded. We talk about ambition, pressure, identity, and the cost of being the one everyone else counts on, until you no longer count yourself.

What to Expect:

How losing her job during the height of her success became Laverne’s spiritual awakening

The difference between being “loyal” and being “obedient”

Why grief isn’t just about death but  what happens when identity changes

How codependency shows up in high performers

The moment her life changed forever: “You’re a liability”

How one rogue coach (with no certifications) saved her life

Why your second résumé is more valuable than your first

Key Takeaways:

The people who helped you get here may not be the ones who can help you go next

You can grieve a job, a dream, or an identity and still begin again

The stories we carry about our past often aren’t true

Your second résumé holds the key to your next chapter—but only if you’re brave enough to read it

Permission doesn’t come from your boss, your spouse, or your friends. It comes from you.

🔁 What’s Next?

If this episode speaks to you, this is an invitation to join the growing Normal 40 community to connect with like-minded individuals. Whether through a free Ramble, Lon's Insider group, or his bestselling book 'The Trade,' this episode is your call to action to start designing your next chapter.

Find it all right here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein

Subscribe to Laverne’s Substack – Moonshot Mentor: https://moonshotmentor.substack.com/ 

Connect with her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lavernemckinnon/ 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com

There’s a moment—quiet, invisible—when you stop asking for someone else’s approval… and start listening for your own.

That moment is called permission. And in this episode, Lon and Adam unpack what it actually means to give it to yourself, and why it’s often the hardest, most courageous thing you’ll ever do.

Lon reveals the real pattern behind over a thousand coaching conversations, and how nearly everyone who reaches out is stuck in the same swirl: aware something is off, acknowledging the discontent, accepting the truth… but waiting for a green light that never comes.

They also go deeper into the conversations that happen after you give yourself permission. With your spouse. With your friends. With the voices in your own head. Because the truth is: most of the people you love won’t understand. And some of the people you trust the most may never give you the validation you’re craving.

That’s why this episode is more than just about permission. It’s about power. It’s about identity. And it’s about choosing to trust the one vote that actually counts: your own.

What to Expect

--Why “permission” is the most misunderstood phase of any transformation

--The true cost of waiting too long to trust your gut

--How to navigate the spiral of awareness → acknowledgment → acceptance → action

--The exact words Lon uses in real-life Rambles that help people start moving

--What to do when your spouse, friends, or coworkers don’t get it

--Why most people don’t need better advice; they need better questions

Key Takeaways:

--No one is coming to give you the life you want. You have to permit yourself to go get it.

--Permission without action is just frustration.

--You don’t need a perfect plan—you need a clear first step.

--Your old friends might not understand who you’re becoming. That’s okay. Find the ones who do.

--You can trade what you have for something better… even if you don’t know what “better” is yet.

What’s Next?

If this episode speaks to you, this is an invitation to join the growing Normal 40 community to connect with like-minded individuals. Whether through a free Ramble, Lon's Insider group, or his bestselling book 'The Trade,' this episode is your call to action to start designing your next chapter.

Find it all right here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein

Follow Adam Eaton here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-eaton-21646a4/   

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com

Most people open ChatGPT to get answers.

Rob Cressy opened it and found a new life.

In this episode, Lon sits down with Rob—entrepreneur, creator, and AI enablement coach—to talk about the real power of ChatGPT. Not as a shortcut. Not as a gimmick. But as a tool for clarity, creativity, and reinvention.

Rob discovered ChatGPT five days after it launched. And within minutes, he knew: this wasn’t just a tool—it was a turning point.

Together, Rob and Lon unpack what it means to “think into the AI,” why curiosity matters more than technical skill, and how your next chapter might start with a single prompt. 

What to Expect

--Rob’s journey from sports media to high-performance coach and to AI enablement leader

--Why ChatGPT “felt like using the internet for the first time”

--How to move from searching to creating with AI

--Practical starting points: how to build a 7-day ChatGPT habit

--Why the best use cases start with your own curiosity

How to integrate AI into your life and career without losing your mind (or job)

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. You’re not behind, you’re just asking the wrong questions

2. AI doesn’t replace creativity but it unlocks it

3. “What am I not asking ChatGPT to do?” ← this mindset alone is worth six figures

4. Start small, stay curious, and stack your own momentum

5. The opportunity isn’t technical. It’s emotional, creative, and exponential

What’s Next?

You don’t need a tech background to start.  You just need to show up with curiosity.

Try Rob’s 7-day Challenge → 3 prompts a day. Any topic. For 7 days.

– Confess something you’ve been avoiding.

– Confront it in ChatGPT.

– Create your way forward.

You don’t need permission to start—just a better question.

Links & Resources:

Follow Lon on Substack: https://normal40.substack.com/ 

Book a Free Ramble with Lon: normal40.com (Click “Talk to Lon”)

Grab Lon’s book—The Trade: Amazon

Get the 14 Questions That Changed My Life: normal40.com

Follow Lon on LinkedIn: @LonStroschein

🔗 Find it all right here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein 

Connect with Rob Cressy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robcressy 

Website: https://robcressy.ai/ 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com

At some point, every man has to ask:What’s this life I’ve built actually doing to me?

In this episode, Lon sits down with Tait Arend—fundraiser, leadership coach, and Co-host of the Bridging Connections podcast, for one of the most honest conversations we’ve ever had. Together, they unpack what happens when you’ve done everything right, checked all the boxes, built the image… and still feel like something’s missing.

This is not a conversation about brokenness.It’s a conversation about awakening.

From a childhood accident that changed his face, and his path, to founding a movement that helps men step out of image and into intimacy, Tait opens up about the five emotional dead ends high-performing men face silently:1. Cynicism

2. Isolation

3. Numbing

4. Disorientation, and

5. Powerlessness.

They talk about what’s beneath the mask.And what happens when you finally take it off.

This episode will challenge you and confront you to name the things you’ve been afraid to admit. And in the process, it might also give you your next move.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

--The five emotional dead ends men face (and how to break out of them)

--Why most men go through life with 'olders' and not 'elders'

--How image becomes a prison, even when it looks successful

--The moment of truth: when your future stops matching your present

--Why your ego might be your greatest asset

--How to stop waiting, and start doing something that matters

What’s Next?

You don’t need to burn it all down to begin again.But you do need to be honest about where you are and where you’re headed.

Start by asking yourself which of the Five Dead Ends are you stuck in.

Then do the one thing most men never do: say it out loud.

Follow the movement on Substack if you haven't already. Lon shares his best work over there.Links & Resources:

Follow Lon on Substack: https://normal40.substack.com/ 

Book a Free Ramble with Lon: normal40.com (Click “Talk to Lon”)

Grab Lon’s book—The Trade: Amazon

Get the 14 Questions That Changed My Life: normal40.com

Follow Lon on LinkedIn: @LonStroschein

🔗 Find it all right here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein 

Connect with Tait here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taitarend/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com

Some trades don’t make sense—until they do.

This is one of them.

Keith Pochick was an ER doctor. Twenty years in. Saving lives. Leading teams. Teaching residents. Everything he was trained to do and everything the world told him he should want.

Until it stopped working.

This conversation started the way most do: a quiet nudge, a LinkedIn post, and a DM sent without a plan. Forty-eight hours later, Keith and I sat down for the first time. No prep, no script. Just two guys who had made The Trade™ and knew the cost.

He didn’t leave medicine on a whim. He left over years.One dissection. One advisory meeting. One tug from his future at a time.Until one day he said yes to something that had been whispering for years.

Now, he teaches middle school science.And he’s never felt more useful.

This isn’t a story about burnout. It’s a story about awakening—when staying felt heavier than leaving,when the “right thing” wasn’t the thing that felt true anymore,and when Keith finally stopped letting guilt steal his curiosity.

You’re going to feel this one.

And if you’re wondering whether it’s too late to start over...listen to the guy who did it—with no regrets, and no backup plan.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com