The Simple Life with Gary Collins

Are you one of the many people now working from home, and trying to get your new routine figured out? Or maybe you have decided it is time to start your own business and run it from the comfort of your own home or place you live.

At first, this sounds like the "Work Gods" have finally answered your prayers, but working from home is not as easy as it sounds. There are numerous distractions to deal with, and with that newfound freedom comes with a great deal more personal responsibility. 

I have worked from home for over fifteen years now. Both, working for someone else and running my own business. I have learned and implemented various strategies to be as highly efficient as I can be, in order to maximize my free time. Today I share these tips and tricks with you, as there have been many lessons learned over the years.

Topics Discussed 

* A little pre-episode discussion about getting pets, and some funny personal stories* Why working from home is a lot more difficult than it sounds* Why you should have a separate office* How to avoid distractions* The key is to; organize, plan, and execute* Having the proper office equipment is key* Figuring out what work schedule works best for you* The differences between working from home for someone else, and working for yourself* Why working in your pajamas is not the best decision * Making sure you only purchase the things you need

Resources and links:

* Show Sponsor: www.mountainviewspringers.com* Belong to The Simple Life Insider’s Circle: https://thesimplelifenow.com/betterlife* The Simple Life website: https://thesimplelifenow.com* CREDIT: Episode art background image photo by Roberto Nickson

Yes, we are in a crazy world, but those who adapt survive!

Are you thinking about changing your health, starting a business, just trying to figure out your place in today’s quickly changing world? Do you feel you are alone thinking people have lost their mind?

You are not alone and Keith goes deep into numerous topics that I guarantee will help you better understand you are not alone in your thoughts or beliefs.  

Keith is one of those few lucky souls who has been able to completely transition out of corporate America and dive headlong into his passion for bettering lives by teaching the art and science of physical culture.  He not only “walks the walk” on a day-to-day basis, but his economic well-being hinges on his precepts of “proper exercise, stellar diet and lifestyle, and intelligent “hacks” and supplementation” forming the bedrock foundation for a long, healthy and prosperous life.

Keith, together with partner Mark Alexander, have molded Austin-based Efficient Exercise into one of the most highly regarded fitness venues in the nation.  Keith’s mix of intelligent and highly effective exercise programming, coupled with Mark’s business savvy and proprietary equipment genius have made Efficient Exercise the preeminent wellness authority.

The very essence of Paleo f(x) is rooted in the idea of putting theory to practice; an idea that Keith is heavily invested in, having been blogging about these issues since early 2007.  And his “30-thousand-foot view” for the Paleo f(x) enterprise serves as the movement’s guiding, north star.

And with a belief that intelligent “hacks” can help bridge the gap between our elegant evolutionary programming and sub-par environmental surroundings, Keith is continually ferreting out and backing the most promising of technological enhancements.  As a founding partner of ID Life, Keith is helping to usher-in 21st century, optimal supplement dosing.

It might be said that Keith lives by the credo written by the Greek poet and soldier, Archilochus, over 2,600 years ago – “We do not rise to the level of our expectations.  We fall to the level of our training”.  And his vision for Paleo f(x) is that of a battle-tested warrior, preserving the right of everyone to fully, actively and enthusiastically engage in the human experience.

Topics Discussed:

* How Keith and his wife created Paleofx to help people and what it is all about* The destructive power of “group think in a vacuum” and how he and Gary have eliminated it from their life and businesses* Some of the most powerful lessons we have learned in life that made us who we are today* The crazy world we live in today, how everything can change on a dime* Why you must fix yourself before you start complaining about or helping others * How the “False Prophets” are destroying this country* Getting bad advice from bad people is never a good idea* Learning and curiosity are the key to living a life of fulfillment* Why your health is the key to everything in life* Why it is not about racism, but a battle between the ultra-rich, politicians and us* Why picking sides in the area of politics is dangerous and a waste of time...

Are you looking for a new direction in life? Are you struggling to get, or stay motivated?

In this episode, I bring on former Navy SEAL Mark Divine. Mark is well known for kicking people in the butt and helping them achieve their goals in business and life.

Mark is from upstate New York and did his formal undergraduate education at Colgate University. His years at Colgate University were focused on athletic endeavors such as competitive swimming, rowing and triathlon racing, interrupted by brief episodes of academic activity. After graduation from "the Gate" Mark started his professional career as a CPA with Coopers & Lybrand in New York City. Clients included luminous and no-longer existent financial firms such as Solomon Brothers and Paine Webber.Four painful years later, with an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business in his briefcase, he left behind the suit to pursue his inner vision to become a Navy SEAL officer. He was 26 when he graduated as honor-man (#1 ranked trainee) of his SEAL BUD/s class 171. Mark was fortunate to serve with many great men and women on active duty for nine year and in the reserves for eleven...retiring at the rank of Commander in 2011.After leaving active duty in 1997, Mark started his second business career as an entrepreneur. He co-founded the successful Coronado Brewing Company and launched NavySEALs.com in the year he left the active duty Navy. NavySEALs.com is the leading web site for gear and information about the SEALs. US Tactical was next, gaining contracts with Naval Special Warfare Group ONE for training support, and the Navy Recruiting Command for a nationwide mentoring program for SEAL, SWCC, EOD and Diver candidates.Mark's business career was interrupted by a stint as an Adjunct Professor of Leadership at the University of San Diego, where he was pursuing his Doctorate in Leadership, then by a one year recall to active duty in 2004. The recall took him to Baghdad with SEAL Team One to conduct a special project for Naval Special Warfare Command surrounding the role of the USMC in Special Operations.In 2007 he launched his CrossFit affiliate and the now internationally known SEALFIT program to provide transformational personal and team training experiences. The training utilizes an integrated warrior development model he developed, called Unbeatable Mind, which draws from his 20 years as a SEAL and business leader, 25 years as a martial artist and 15 years as yoga practitioner.SEALFIT and Unbeatable Mind are uniquely effective at elevating clients to a higher level of operating, thinking and leading - encompassing the full spectrum of human experience - Body, Mind and Spirit in Self, Team and Organization.Certifications, experience, honors:* CPA, New York State* BUD/s class 170 Honor man* SEAL TEAM 3 Platoon CDR* Commanding Officer, NR SEAL TEAM 1* Commander, US Navy Reserves* Colonel, Kentucky Order of Colonels* Ambassador, SEAL (NSW) Foundation* Ashtanga Yoga Instructor training* Combat Defense Master Trainer* S.C.A.R.S. Military H2H instructor* Seido Karate: black belt* Goju Ryu Karate: black belt* Saito Ninjutsu: brown belt* Various CrossFit and Self Defense certifications

Topics Discussed 

* After spending years working on his advanced college education and working in the financial world what motivated him to ...

Are you looking for a life of freedom? Freedom is not free, and I’m glad to have one of the most outspoken freedom fighters: Matt Kibbe. With everything going on in the world today and our personal freedoms under attack, this is an incredibly important episode.

Matt Kibbe is the President and Chief Community Organizer at Free the People, an educational organization turning the next generation on to the values of liberty. We reach the “liberty curious” through social media, video, and storytelling. Kibbe functions as the team’s Yoda, ensuring that issues and projects don’t succumb to the dark side. He is also an Executive Producer at BlazeTV, where he produces the Kibbe on Liberty podcast as well as The Deadly Isms, a documentary series about the dangers of all flavors of authoritarianism.

He is the Co-Founder and Partner at Fight the Power Productions, a strategic communications firm focused on video production, social media branding, and compelling storytelling.

He is also a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Austrian Economics Center in Vienna. In 2004 Kibbe founded FreedomWorks, where he served as President for 11 years. Steve Forbes said, “Kibbe has been to FreedomWorks what Steve Jobs was to Apple.”

Against his better judgment, Kibbe has occasionally gotten involved in politics, serving as Senior Advisor to a Rand Paul SuperPAC, and creating AlternativePAC to support liberty candidates in 2016. Back when Yoda was a teenager, Kibbe worked as Chief of Staff on Capitol Hill, as Budget Director for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and at the Republican National Committee.

Dubbed “The Scribe” by the New York Daily News, Kibbe is most recently author of the #2 New York Times bestseller, Don’t Hurt People and Don’t Take Their Stuff: A Libertarian Manifesto. In his spare time he appears on Old Media, including FOX News, MSNBC, CNN and HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. Most of his best material is lifted from his three liberty-minded cats, Roark, Ragnar, and Rearden.

Topics Discussed 

* How was Matt influenced when it comes to his libertarian mindset* What does Matt think is in the near future for the libertarian movement* How Matt came about for the title of his Best-Selling book “Don’t Hurt People and Don’t Take Their Stuff”* How did the band RUSH influence him early on in his pursuit of individual freedom* Gary and Matt get deep into what freedom really means and why we are allowing the government and big business to take it away from us

Resources and links:

* Matt’s podcast: Kibbe on Liberty* Matt’s website: https://freethepeople.org  * Belong to The Simple Life Insider’s Circle: https://thesimplelifenow.com/betterlife* The Simple Life website: https://thesimplelifenow.com

Do you feel that the world is burning around you!

If you watch the news and/or follow the media you may believe law enforcement officers are slaughtering innocent citizens on a daily basis. The fact is this: it just isn’t true.

Most people, including our glorious media and politicians, have no clue what are the critical elements of use-of-force policies our law enforcement follows. They also have no clue how these are applied on a daily basis. I guarantee you will have a very different view after listening to Patrick and me. We're both former law enforcement officers, and will share the hard facts.

Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Patrick is a retired law enforcement officer with approximately 23 years of experience. He holds an MBA in business and an MA in organizational leadership. Patrick is a part-time professor in higher education and is dedicated to coaching and mentoring the next generation of law enforcement professionals.

Patrick enjoys spending time with his wife Jennifer and their children, outdoor activities and of course, being the host of CJEvolution.

Topics Discussed:

* Make sure to check out episode 44 to learn more about Patrick* What are the actual policies used by law enforcement, when we are talking about “use of force”* Even though what you’ve been told by the media and politicians--the death of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks are very, very different from each other* Understanding the stress law enforcement officers are under on a daily basis* What is the “asshole” test* How you should interact with a law enforcement officer during all and any contact with them… it could just save your life* Why protesting sounds great, but in the big picture it actually does nothing* How we take our freedom and our country back* Why you need to get your own life squared away first, before you start complaining about other things going on* How going back to community policing, and police interacting with citizens on a daily basis is the answer* Defunding the police sounds great, but the consequences will be dire for people who have no ability to protect themselves* The glorious new city of SHIT…. I mean CHOP, and how it is the road to disaster* Why action is the key to change, and why we need to elect the right people to positions of power

Show Links:

* Patrick’s website: https://www.cjevolution.com/ * Be a member of The Simple Life Insider’s Circle: https://thesimplelifenow.com/betterlife* The Simple Life website: https://thesimplelifenow.com

Do you think we are in a crazy time, and things just don’t make sense? Well, you are not alone. Patrick and I dig into a lot in this episode, primarily whey things seem to out of balance today. Trust me, this is a good one, and I would put it into the must-listen category, but I may be a little biased!

Patrick is a retired law enforcement officer with approximately 23 years of experience. He holds an MBA in business and an MA in organizational leadership and is a lifelong learner. Patrick is a part-time professor in higher education and is dedicated to coaching and mentoring the next generation of law enforcement professionals.

Patrick enjoys spending time with his wife Jennifer and their children, outdoor activities and of course, being the host of CJEvolution.

Topics Discussed:

* A bit about Patrick* Seeing the world, we live in today through former law enforcement eyes (both of us)* Why Patrick was called a Trumper, even though he is not one* Why what comes out of your mouth has consequences* Why we have lost our ability of problem resolution in our soft “snowflake” society today* Why Bullies have a place… yes, I said it!* The old days when we solved our problems with others face to face* The news media sucks and why we should ignore most of them* Is Virtue Signaling becoming a bigger trend* Negative people are time suckers and need to get a life* Realizing we are really lucky to live in this country and need to live our lives as so* Wasting time is a crime--when you do it you are stealing life from yourself and others

Show Links:

* Patrick’s website: https://www.cjevolution.com/ * Be a member of The Simple Life Insider’s Circle: https://thesimplelifenow.com/betterlife* The Simple Life website: https://thesimplelifenow.com

Are you looking to take that final step towards a life of freedom by starting your own business? How about learning about how to do it from a couple of people who have been there done that. 

In this episode, I bring on Rick Stephenson co-owner of OpenPrints.com. Rick and his brother started Openprints.com from scratch in their garage fifteen years ago, and now have a thriving business.   

Rick’s background in his own words:

I grew up in Chesapeake VA. With most entrepreneurs I have listened to on podcast, they were selling candy in school or some sort of early entrepreneur story. I didn't do that growing up. I just played baseball.  

I went to college to play baseball - originally to East Carolina University which was a great baseball school, but once I realized I wasn't going to be a major leaguer, I transferred to William and Mary in Virginia and played baseball for 3 years there.  

I majored in English and was set on being a script writer (I was in college during the era of Wes Anderson's indie films and loved those). After college I started working in the film/commercial industry in Richmond VA as a PA/Set Assistant. But I didn't really see any specialized path I wanted to go down, so I decided to make a baseball documentary (which was really a quarter documentary and 75% instructional).  

It was called Prospect Movie and featured a bunch of the MLB players I had played with growing up as well as a bunch of other well-respected baseball people. Once I was done making it, I imagined that I would put an ad in the paper and they would sell like hotcakes. It didn't work like that.  

I bought some newspaper ads in sports newspapers and sat at my computer hitting refresh for a week straight and got maybe like ten sales over the first week. I was pretty crushed but the response I was getting from the people in it and people who really knew what they were talking about was great, so I kind of pieced together that I didn't know anything about selling anything.

There was a baseball company in Iowa called Perfect Game who did events and wanted to create a video recruiting website, and they saw the movie and invited me out and convinced me to move there. 

So I moved out there to create a website called baseballwebtv.com with them, which was a video content site about high school and college baseball, and recruiting video database. This was during the early days YouTube, so it was pretty cutting edge at that time. And it didn't end up working.  I'm still a little bit puzzled why it wasn't more widely adopted.

During the launch of baseballwebtv, the company had a programmer that was assigned to make the website, and he left for a different job about 3 weeks before we launched. So it was sort of a sink or swim moment and my brother and I essentially taught ourselves to program in 4-5 weeks to get the site launched.

Around the time it was becoming clear that BBWTV wasn't working, a salesman came in to demo and try to sell a poster printer to the company. We saw that and my brother and I decided to start an online printing company right then. (while I was at this company I was also learning how to sell my DVD movie online).

So we moved back home to Chesapeake. I got a job as a military contractor programming. And we started PosterBurner and OpenPrints out of the house we were living in at the time, eventually having a couple of employees working out of the house and making a lot of noise ...

In this episode, I bring back Amazon Best Selling Thriller Author AC (Adam) Fuller. This is an update on The Crime Beat Thriller Series Adam and I worked on, and have now completed. The Crime Beat is a nine-book novella Thriller series.

Adam was a journalist in New York, he now writes fiction at the intersection of media, politics, and technology. Before he began writing full time, he was an adjunct professor of journalism at NYU and an English teacher at Northwest Indian College.

He is also the creator of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast, which ran from 2014 to 2016 and was consistently one of the top independent writing podcasts in the country.

In addition to NYU, A.C. has taught writing for the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, the Write in the Harbor Conference, the Royal City Literary Arts Society, the Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network, and many local libraries. He lives with his wife, two children, and two dogs near Seattle.

Topics Discussed 

* How to get The Crime Beat Book 1 for free* An update on The Crime Beat book series now that it is complete* A bit about how the inside of big publishing works * The good and bad of being self-published* If you are interested in a career as an author what you need to know and do* Adam’s number-one key for starting out as an author* How to deal with bad reviews and negative criticism as an author

Resources and links:

* Adam’s website: http://www.acfuller.com* Get a free copy of one of Adam’s books at http://www.acfuller.com/readergroup* Adam’s Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/A-C-Fuller/e/B00ZPRYHZW* How to be in the Simple Life Circle https://thesimplelifenow.com/betterlife

Time is one of the most important things in your life, as we haven’t figured out how to make it and probably never will. So why are you wasting your valuable time, and in a lot of cases other peoples as well? Time is money… time is life! You need to think of it as a valuable resource and treat it as such.

In this episode, I talk about the importance of time and how to use it wisely.

Topics Discussed:

* Gary goes on a bit of a rant* Just because they are your friends or beloved business partners they still shouldn’t be wasting your time* Why most people don’t understand the main concept of wasting someone’s time… it is flat out the theft of life* Why and how people, loved ones, business partners, and customers will waste your time* Why if you are not treating time as an asset, you are living a life of waste* Why you need to fire bad customers (they are time robbers)* Why giving things away free as the backbone of a business model is a waste of time and attracts the wrong type of customers

Resources and links:

* OpenPrints website: http://www.openprints.com* Belong to The Simple Life Insider’s Circle: https://thesimplelifenow.com/betterlife

The Simple Life website: https://thesimplelifenow.com

Are you searching for your purpose in life? Are you looking to change directions in life--personally, professionally, or even both? Today’s guest, Kristine Stone of SiriusXM, didn’t force it her life purpose. But how she did find it will completely surprise you. Kristine has been doing truly what she loves for nearly four decades as a radio DJ, and now Sirius XM personality.

About Kristine in her own words:

Born in Miami, 1967… fast forward through adolescence, puberty, and high school! Kristine attended Simmons College in Boston, in 1985, not having any idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, so I majored in French. Halfway through my studies, I entered a "DJ For A Day" contest at WZLX....and won! That Spring day in 1988 changed everything. I ended up interning at ZLX, and returned to the NYC area to see what I could do in radio...

I started at the Ct School of Broadcasting, and landed my first on-air slot, doing middays at WWCO, Waterbury, CT. From there:

* WEFX* WRKI* WMRQ* WPLR* WHCN* WXRK* SIRIUSXM

I have been with SXM since 2001, when they first went on the air, broadcasting across the U.S. and Canada. I currently work mornings on the Spectrum Ch.28, and afternoons on Classic Rewind Ch.25. I have a solid fan base on Twitter & Facebook, and can be reached on LinkedIn as well. I also have hosted events for SXM at The NADA, and hosted private corporate functions like The VIP Customer Conference at Disney World, on behalf of SXM.

In 2013, I decided to grow my business and expand into voiceovers. Thanks to my friends at CBS, I now do imaging and promos for WFAN, NY and WZLX, Boston. If you're looking for a mature, warm delivery, with plenty of humor and sarcasm available, I could be the female voice you're looking for! High energy reads, or sultry sexy low-key… I have a variety of different personalities to portray.

I work in NYC at SIRIUSXM, and have a fully equipped home studio in CT.

Kristine is on air, Sirius XM Channel 25 and 28:

Weekdays 5 am –  5 pm ET

Topics Discussed:

* A bit about Kristine* How Kristine became a radio DJ back in the day* How Kristine found her life purpose* How Kristine transitioned from terrestrial radio to satellite radio* How Kristine expanded her skills and used them to build multiple side hustles* What it is like working from home as a DJ* Who has been some of her favorite guests over the years? * The current state of the music business* Why the music of the 70s and 80s is so much better than music today* Why us RUSH fans are so goofy* Where does Kristine think the music industry is going in the future

Show Links:

* Kristine’s website: https://www.kristinestonemedia.com/* Gary’s Mother Earth News Online Course: How To Find Your Land For Living Off The Grid https://online.motherearthnewsfair.com/?affcode=460766_r6jcqsw8* How to be in the Simple Life Circle: https://thesimplelifenow.com/betterlife* The Simple Life website: https://thesimplelifenow.com