The Struggle is Real: Financial Independence Strategies for Young Adults

I love listening to stories that require someone to take a chance and today’s episode is packed with those.

You’ll hear from my friend, Ahmad Jabbir. He exhibits and embodies the phrase “bet on yourself.” One of my favorite stories he tells is how he pitched the CEO of Seek Discomfort, the apparel brand of the wildly popular YouTube channel, Yes Theory, to hire him for a job that wasn’t even created yet. His one-of-a-kind interview got him an instant yes.

This bravado would be impressive with anyone but Ahmad wasn’t always this bold. Up through college, he was shy, lacked confidence, and thought he was stupid.

But a few personal development projects changed everything for him. In one of his most recent projects, Ahmad set out to meet 100 strangers. He was blown away by the people he met and the stories he heard.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:17] Ahmad’s go-to Toronto attractions

[5:20] The story of Rob Lawless and how that impacted Ahmad to meet 100 people

[15:27] How to make deep, meaningful relationship

[19:55] How Ahmad landed his dream job at Seek Discomfort

[31:48] Only take advice from people that you admire

[37:18] Lessons learned from 700 days of journaling

[54:07] How reading helped Ahmad learn the game of life better

 

Mentions:

People

Yes Theory

Bojana Corillic

Jesse Itzler

 

Books

The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World's Most Successful People Launched Their Careers by Alex Banayan

Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business Paperback by Charles Duhigg

 

Movies

Yes Man

 

More of Ahmad:

Instagram: @Ahmad.Jabbir

LinkedIn: Ahmad Jabbir

 

More of TSIR:

Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/

Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tsirpod/

My childhood was filled with a constant need for play. I remember playing a lot of backyard sports and fictional quest games that we made-up on the fly.

I always had a sense of adventure. As I got older, I found myself losing touch with that. I’m all about high achievement activities but I also wanted to allow myself to do things for the simple fact that they put a smile on my face.

I found getting back to this baseline of play and adventure way more challenging than I thought it would be. Speaking with friends, I’ve learned that having fun as an adult is difficult for many of us.

I thought this would make for an interesting topic on The Struggle is Real and I invited my friend Tyson Bankert to join me in this conversation.

Tyson knows a whole lot of fun. He spent many years working at an after-school program where he was responsible for creating opportunities for kids to have fun. Tyson decided to use his skill set for adults and started the company, Recess Calgary, where he creates an environment for “grown-ups” to take a break from adulting.

I’m hoping this conversation sparks a desire to build more play into your life. Tyson also shares timely advice on how to be a better facilitator, being attuned to inclusion, and creating a personal slogan to you can live by.

 

Key Takeaways:

[2:31] Experience being a day camp leader and how that lead Tyson to starting Recess Calgary

[14:20] How to play again as an adult

[18:36] Think about the culture of your gathering

[24:12] Creating a sense of safety and comfort at your events

[27:25] Tyson’s personal slogan and how that’s shaped his decision making process

[35:50] Do things change at 30?

 

Mentions:

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle

 

More of Tyson:

https://www.recesscalgary.ca/

Instagram: recesscalgary

LinkedIn: Tyson Bankert

 

More of TSIR:

Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/

Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tsirpod/

I know many of us 20-somethings are focused on increasing our wealth and gaining more financial security. I’m definitely in this boat and I think that is a wise approach. I’m confident that we will get to a place where it becomes less about making money and more about life satisfaction.

I think my guest today summarizes it the best: use money to make a life, don’t use life to make money.

Joining me on The Struggle is Real is Laura Rotter, Founder of True Abundance Advisors. Laura’s career is dominated by her 30 years of experience on Wall Street but she has spent the last 6 years helping individuals attain both financial security and life satisfaction through her own advising firm.

Laura gives a lot of reflective advice on career exploration, how to go about pursuing a new life direction, and shares a technique to treat your personal finances like a business owner.

After this conversation, I hope you walk away with thoughts on how you’d like to make meaning with your money. This is a personal question for each of us, and I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer. As long as you’ve given it some real thought, and continue to evaluate your line of thinking, you’ll truly live your rich life.

 

Key Takeaways:

[2:24] Rethinking the first decade of your career

[11:59] When is enough money, enough?

[28:44] A rabbi, yogi, and financial advisor

[35:02] Despite their differences, how Laura and her husband have created shared experiences over their 30 year marriage

[41:56] Finding purpose outside of making money

[50:00] Managing at your finances like a business owner

 

Mentions:

Jeremy Schneider on TSIR: www.tsirpodcast.com/57

90 Days to a New Life Direction by Laura Berman Fortgang

 

More of Laura:

https://trueabundanceadvisors.com/

LinkedIn: Laura Rotter, CFA, CFP

 

More of TSIR:

Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/

Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tsirpod/

For some of us, running to the kitchen to grab a snack is quite the workout. So what does it feel like to run 62 miles for twelve hours straight?

In today’s episode, Justin and Mason discuss what it felt like to endure such a challenge. They break down their preparation leading up to the event, give details about race day, and what mentality you have to foster to cross the finish line.

Few of us are planning on running an ultramarathon anytime soon, but Justin and Mason offer encouraging advice that applies to any goal, large or small. After this conversation, I hope you find inspiration in achieving your next goal, as well as the discipline to continue to build on it. 

Mason hopes to directly impact those who are seeking to push themselves further in education and life through his scholarship fund, Finding Future. Mason has already completed a number of endurance events. These include his 23-year-young birthday circuit, running a mile on the hour for 24 hours straight, summiting a 6,000 foot peak five times in a row, David Goggin’s 4x4x48, and a multitude of marathon runs. With each event he hopes to demonstrate how far one can truly push themselves while raising money for his fund.

 

Key Takeaways:

[2:00] Why and how they chose to run a 100k ultramarathon

[6:20] Outline of their training program and race preparation

[12:50] Justin and Mason depict their mindset during the race and how to deal with the quitting voice

[25:25] How competing in endurance events helps foster discipline, self-respect and confidence

[30:40] Why you should prioritize consistency over perfection, and how important it is to restart the goal after failure

[44:00] How to craft your environment and social circle to accomplish your goals

[49:45] Mason talks about his non-profit, Finding Future

[55:00] No goal is too small if it aims to make you better than who you were yesterday

 

Mentions:

E1: Mason Stevens - One Small Step | The Struggle is Real

E2: Kyle Peters - The Power of Authenticity | The Struggle is Real

 

More of Mason:

IG: @mason_james209

Finding Future: www.findingfuture.org

 

More of TSIR:

Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/

Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tsirpod/

Investing is complicated…but does it need to be? Starting your investing journey can be super overwhelming especially in this age of information overload: stocks, crypto, FAANG, options, bonds. This brings up the obvious question: what should I invest in?

Personally, I want to understand what I am investing in, how it creates its value, and ultimately, what my return will look like. This has led me to today’s guest, Jeremy Schneider.

Jeremy is the Founder of Personal Finance Club. He has a wildly popular Instagram by the same name where he is dishing out simple, unbiased information on how to win with money. Jeremy doesn’t have any get rich quick advice for you today but he will share a simple 2-step plan to retire in 15 years.

Along with that you’ll hear his delineation between investing vs speculating, how to easily invest through target date funds, and his experiment about living on a $5 vs $500 daily food budget.

 

Key Takeaways:

[2:38] Selling RentLinks and hitting financial independence

[10:21] Why you need to invest, not save, your money

[13:30] Investing vs speculating

[16:05] How to figure out which companies to invest in

[20:19] The cost of actively managed mutual funds

[26:57] Alternative to mutual funds…index funds

[31:38] How to easily invest through target date funds

[38:25] 90/10 rule

[41:26] 2 step plan to retire in 15 years

[43:40] Jeremy’s experiment: $5 vs $500 food budget

[50:48] Starting Personal Finance Club  

 

Mentions:

What You Need to Know About Taxes in Your 20s | E39 Sean Mullaney

 

More of Jeremy:

Website: Personal Finance Club

Instagram: @personalfinanceclub

LinkedIn: Jeremy Schneider

 

More of TSIR:

Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/

Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tsirpod/

Today’s guest is Larry Hagner, Founder of The Dad Edge. The Dad Edge is focused on empowering men to build legendary marriages, create epic connections with their kids, master personal finances, optimize their health, and become a leader within their family.

Although you’ll definitely hear stories about parenthood, most of this conversation will focus on the first pillar: building a legendary marriage.

Stable, intimate relationships can present many predictable, yet devious challenges like conversation boredom, sexless bedrooms, and dwindling novelty. The good news is this storyline is an editable script.

Larry teaches us how he continues to show up as a better partner in his marriage. Surprise, surprise, a lot it involves great communication. He’ll share ideas on tactical empathy, labeling emotions, and mirroring without the word why.

At the end, we also got a chance to talk about my favorite learning lesson from Larry, generative questions, and how one question led to an epic summer of family adventures and a basement full of memories.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with the 18 year husband, father of 4, and the original Good Dad Project…Larry Hagner.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:52] Why music is an important factor to making memories 

[5:47] Patience is a skill not a personality trait

[17:54] How you can use priming to show up as your best self

[22:42] Father figures throughout Larry’s upbringing

[40:27] Communication advice including tactical empathy, labeling emotions, and mirroring without the word why

[52:44] Generative questions: how might we vs why can’t we and the 13 family adventures

 

Mentions:

https://thedadedge.com/25questions/

https://thedadedge.com/extraordinary-marriage/

 

More of Larry:

Home - The Dad Edge

Spotify: The Dad Edge Podcast | Podcast on Spotify

Apple: The Dad Edge Podcast (formerly The Good Dad Project Podcast) on Apple Podcasts

Instagram: @thedadedge

 

More of TSIR:

Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/

Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tsirpod/

I’ve dreaded some recent get-togethers knowing argumentative political conversations are going to be on the agenda and for quite some time, I’ve taken the approach that it is better to avoid these conversations by staying quiet and giving a friendly nod.

That line of thinking is changing for me now. Avoiding participation in these conversations is forgoing the opportunity to learn something new, and maybe even change my mind. Along with that, if I’m not taking the time or initiative to understand someone else’s point of view, I’m only reinforcing the current state of divisiveness between these binary camps of blue and red.

I invited Corey Nathan on the podcast to give us inspiration on how this could be done right. He shares his personal story of making amends with his dad when he decided to leave the Jewish faith.

In the second half of this episode, Corey shares some basic communication skills to help us have more enabling conversations. Some of my favorites include the feel, felt, found framework, the phrase “help me understand”, and changing our mindset from competition to collaboration.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with the stockbroker by day, theater guy by night, Jew from Jersey that became a Christian, and the host of the incredible podcast, Talkin’ Politics & Religion Without Killin’ Each Other…Corey Nathan.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:02] How Hal introduce Corey to Christianity

[13:05] Corey telling his Jewish parents that he was a Christian

[26:42] When political views are inconsistent with religious scripture

[32:21] Corey’s life as a stockbroker and theater guy and how that taught him how to create kindness across different viewpoints

[42:18] Why Corey’s son decided to stay unvaccinated and how he approaches that conversation differently now

[52:08] How to approach mending relationships that were broken due to opposing political views and the feel, felt, found framework

[57:34] Respectfully disagreeing

 

More of Corey:

Podcast: Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other

https://politicsandreligion.podbean.com/

Instagram: @tpandrpod

 

More of TSIR:

Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/

Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tsirpod/

Our teenage years present many challenges. One universal obstacle I saw few of us avoid was the trap of comparing ourselves to others, particularly our physical bodies. Someone was always thinner, more muscular, prettier, taller, or had better skin.

Many of those thoughts and feelings never went away but progressing through our 20s, we not only realize but start to believe there are way more important facets of ourselves than our outward appearance.

Realizing it and getting there are two different things though. It’s hard to embrace and embody all of our physical attributes, especially those areas we’ve always been insecure about and others that are becoming apparent as we age.

Even though I’m not quite sure if I’ll ever fully get to loving my entire body, there are actions that my guest believes that we can take to get closer.

I’m excited to introduce you to Sophie Killip, a mental health counselor and coach. Sophie’s philosophies include working towards body acceptance, embracing size diversity, and looking at health from a holistic viewpoint not one singular measurement like weight.

We have a great conversation about why fat is not a feeling, normalizing body diversity, replacing self-criticism with self-compassion, and much more.

Key Takeaways:

[2:11] The difference between body positive, neutrality, and acceptance

[6:14] We are heading in the right direction but we still have room for improvement

[16:08] Fat is not a feeling and health at every size

[28:51] When did chubby become a problem?

[31:11] How to normalize body diversity and challenge judgment

[35:13] What to say instead of “looks like you lost weight”

[42:17] Replacing self-criticism with self-compassion and confidence

[50:07] Body gratitude exercise

Mentions:

Aerie Clothing Brand

Mike Marjama Overcomes Eating Disorder on Path to MLB

More of TSIR:

Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/

Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tsirpod/

Do you know what’s worse than being set up on a blind date? Going on that date in front of a live audience. Oh, and when I say blind date, I mean literary blind-folded.

That’s the concept for the New York City based comedy show, UpDating. Imagine live comedy meets a reality dating show. This non-scripted show includes audience participation, brutally honest moments, and relatable feedback in real-time with real people.

Joining me on the podcast today is the Producer and Co-Host of UpDating, Harrison Forman. Harrison created UpDating with his partner Brandon Berman. It was a bit of a mix of Harrison and Brandon’s ideas–which you’ll hear about early on in this episode.

Harrison shares the highlights and lowlights of creating UpDating. You’ll walk away with insight on dealing with criticism, overcoming self-doubt, and how with a lot of hustle and a little belief, you can attract what you want to achieve in your life.

 

Key Takeaways:

[2:10] The show structure

[9:37] How UpDating got started

[19:43] Getting people to the show

[22:26] The story of Ernie

[25:07] Dealing with criticism

[29:14] Overcoming imposter syndrome and self-doubt 

[38:48] The law of attraction

 

More of Harrison:

www.updatingshow.com

Instagram: @updatingshow

Instagram: @htforman

 

More of TSIR:

Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/

Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tsirpod/

Imagine you’re 9-year-old and you want the new, hottest toy. What would you do? Would you ask your parents for the money or spend your birthday money to buy it? My guess is very few of our 9-year-old selves would have created a business to raise the funds.

I also wouldn’t have convinced my parents to change me to homeschooling so I could have more time to focus on my business, but today’s guest did that.

Joining me today is 15-year-old entrepreneur, Benjamin Wong. Benjamin is the Founder of Kid CEO Media, a youth-run communications company dedicated to uplifting young entrepreneurs. His seminal projects are the Kid CEO Podcast and a virtual summit he hosted for kidpreneurs to meet and learn from peers. And doing all of this while battling pressures of being a teenager.

I hope you walk away from this conversation with the energy to fight back from the conformity that is squashing your most thrilling dreams.

We’ll also discuss how to build your own community, the importance of staying open-minded, and what Web 3.0 can do for creators.

 

Show Notes:

[1:38] How a funko pop desire turned into a business

[8:28] What sparked 11-year-old Ben to learn about investing 

[15:05] Fighting against conformity  

[17:30] Creating and building your own community 

[25:04] Staying open-minded to learn something new

[33:31] What Web 3.0 can do for creators 

[44:29] Why the future is the best part

 

More of Benjamin:

www.benjaminwong.co

Instagram: officialbenjaminwong

 

More of TSIR:

Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/

Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tsirpod/