Boundless: The Human Side Of Work

I had a great conversation with Amy McMillen via a live group conversation and we talked about her journey of leaving her full-time job WITHOUT a plan, what it felt like, what she learned and how she ended up documenting it in a beautiful book during the pandemic. Our full conversation, including Q&A can be found here: YouTube Link Subscribe to Paul's weekly newsletter on work & what matters: Boundless @ Substack Buy Amy's Book: Reclaiming Control @ Amazon

Will Bachman is the creator of a community-first talent platform for management consultants, Umbrex and hosts a podcast for independent consultants called Unleashed.  We talk about the recent course he created called the Guide To Setting Up Your Consulting Practice course ($100 off with the code: boundless), which is a product of his 12 years as an independent consultant and his work helping hundreds (perhaps thousands) become thriving solo consultants.  We talk about How he thought about independent consulting in 2008 versus now in 2020 How his talent platform, Umbrex, was born and how it has remained community focused What led him to create his course and some of the What makes him want to “keep playing the game” of self-employment How independent consultants can think about finding new clients How he designs experiments to keep his learning journey alive How he builds his virtual team to help him succeed as a consultant How he filters everything he does through a 5-decade time horizon If yo

A conversation and reflection with Andrew Taggart on total work, the role of the human amid our current crisis and an exploration of philosophical questions For more on Andrew: His Website Music: Deliberate Thought by Kevin MacLeod

Laurel and I decided to jump on a video call to talk about the world emerging work-from-home experiment amid the evolving Covid-19 pandemic.  We wanted to talk about some of the deeper principles & opportunities that remote work offers and talk about how companies might think about it in the next month and over the next few years. We talk about: The short-term mindset companies should take in the next few weeks (hint: don't overdo the tools right now) What the broader opportunity is for remote work over the next 10 years The role of trust in remote work and what happens when it breaks down How to think about meetings and how to design your day and re-think productivity Examples of companies who have been innovating in this space for 10+ years Experience from Laurel's 10+ years as a remote team leader As the Founder of Distribute Consulting and the Remote Work Association, Laurel Farrer starts, strengthens, and leverages virtual workforces to solve corporate and socioeconomic concerns. A global

In 2015, Diania Merriam discovered the Mr. Money Mustache blog about financial independence and reading it was like a refreshing punch in the face. At the time, she was living in NYC and $30k in debt. She got out of that debt in 11 months and started saving 60% of her income. This newfound grip on her finances gave her a huge boost of confidence to pursue goals that previously felt out of reach. In 2017, she moved to Cincinnati after negotiating a remote working arrangement with her employer.   She then took a 2 month unpaid sabbatical to walk the Camino de Santiago (a 500 mile trek across northern Spain). She also bought a house, adopted a dog, and found herself a midwestern gentleman.  Diania founded EconoMe, a one day event at the University of Cincinnati on March 7th, 2020, to make the ideas that inspired her more accessible to others. --------------- Want to support Boundless? => check us out here (https://think-boundless.com/support-boundless)

For the re-launch of the Boundless podcast, I'm releasing a previously Patreon-only audio discussion of a piece I wrote - Crisis at Work - which was published in the fall of 2017. *You can read the piece here*: Crisis At WorkI talk through six key reasons why organizational fail to unlock human potential:We're defaulting to the wrong goals (shareholder value)We're mistaking authority for performance (the Tom Brady principle)We aren't providing a connection to purposeWe don't understand how organizations operate (Chaos theory)We aren't giving people autonomyWe're choosing comfort over growthBoundless Links:Subscribe to the newsletterSupport On PatreonJoin The VIP Facebook Group (upcoming book club on Bullshit Jobs in September 2018)

Amir Salihefendić is the Founder and CEO of Doist, a fully distributed, remote company that creates productivity tools (Todoist & Twist). We dive into his story of moving from Bosnia to Denmark as a child and how he started Doist while in college.  He’s built a growing technology company in a fully remote setting, often experimenting with different ways of working and sharing the thinking behind the decisions as he goes on the doist blog as a major supporter of the remote work movement. ------------ Like the podcast?  Show some love on twitter or become a patron

Moataz Ahmed otherwise known as “motizzy” is a graphic designer, consultant and hand lettering artist.  He recently published Part 1 of his book titled, “Lazy Person’s Guide to Freedom” and we talked about his journey and book in this conversation. We also talk about: How we naturally started freelancing by helping people His embrace of the “gift mindset” How he improved his will-power and motivation How he thinks about freedom and justice How freedom should also be about speaking out for other people’s freedom Learning new languages and the benefit of cross-cultural insight for design work You can learn more: Motizzy.com Lazy Person’s Guide To Freedom ($0+ Gift Pricing) His great design work on instagram ----- => Ways to support Reimagine Work

I connected with Visa on twitter, where he’s made many friends over the past several years. I wanted to interview Visa to talk about his leap to self-employment over the past couple of years, but we talked about so much more. We talk about: What the word “nourish” means to him His evolution on procrastination and getting started How to find like-hearted humans on twitter The “asshole problem” The curious humans of twitter How he creates his own work See the episode notes here Follow Visa on twitter --- If you want to support the podcast, take our courses or support Boundless, check the link here.

Alex Pang is the author of Rest about how you can do more while working less and is author of the forthcoming Shorter, which shares stories of companies that have shifted to a four day workweek. Hear about Alex's own sabbatical, how he changed his relationship to rest and what he's learning now. Read more about Alex and get a copy of his book here ---- Want to support the Boundless Podcast?  Join as a Patron here

I'm experimenting with some shorter episodes where I explore side hustles and creative experiments with people taking action on experiments they are excited about.   This one features Rohith Amruthur, creator of the Lost Geographer, which you can learn more about here.  If you have any suggestions or want to come on the podcast, shoot me an e-mail. If you'd like to support this podcast you can do so here.

I had a 2nd conversation with Stephen about the phases and emotional experiences of what a shift looks like.  He's coached hundreds of people so has a good understanding of what people typically face. I created this as part of my curious exploration of making sense of what it takes to reinvent in the modern world. If you want to support the podcast, you can go here.

Andy Sparks founded a company called Holloway, which is trying to solve the problem of sharing knowledge online.  He shared how his startup is trying to combine beauty, writing & deep knowledge to complex topics like Venture Capital and Hiring.   We talk about his journey, how he started writing, the professor that changed his life in college and how his father has influenced his approach to work & life.  He also shares how he thinks about "a lake" as a metaphor for life and how he stays in touch with friends in a vulnerable way. We talk about: Andy's writing practice Teaching & modern education system A college professor that inspired him to think differently Unlocking wisdom from books on the internet Grappling with success & status in the modern world How he stays in touch with the people that matter to hi Learn more about Holloway here or subscribe to Good Work ------------------ REINVENT: Learn more about the course here or lurk on my progress here Patreon: Become a supporter

" coworking at its best isn’t an occupancy based business at all. If the only time your members can get value from their membership is when they’re in the room, you’re limiting the potential of your community " Alex Hillman runs one of the longest running co-working spaces in the world - Indy Hall - in Philadelphia.  He thinks the word "coworking" has lost some of its meaning and that many companies are running "spreadsheet businesses" rather than cultivating community. "That level of dependence on a single employer is brittle at best and dangerous at worst. And that single source of 50,000 jobs being Amazon, who is notoriously one of the most ruthless businesses in the world, is the WORST worst way to generate those jobs. " We also dive into Alex's working model of a new project, the 10k independents project.  Hear about why he thinks self-sufficient independents are better than Amazon (I tend to agree) --------------------- Subscribe to the weekly Boundless newsletter - much more than a link drop - a deep d

Years ago, Ben wrote that his personal mission statement was “to help people reach their full potential” and our conversation touches on this theme in many different ways.  Ben is a former car rental pro turned consultant turned HR executive.  His work in HR landed him on the cover of Human Resource Executive but instead of staying on the path to CEO he decided to carve his own path. Our conversation touches on a number of issues including coaching, entrepreneurship, how his relationship with work has evolves, management versus leadership and what he wants written on his tombstone.  Some other topics we touch on: Ben’s motivation to work at Enterprise Rent-a-Car after college and what he learned His early entrepreneurial “ventures” starting at 12 years old How his mindset about work shifted as he became successful in the corporate world His experience hiring working with an executive coach in his late 20s His experience coaching and favorite exercises Why companies are scared of trusting their people

John Zeratsky was a designer in the tech industry has worked with hundreds of startups in his time at Google Ventures.  He’s also obsessed with redesigning time and thinking about what matters in life.  Earlier this year he just got back from 18 months living on his boat "Pineapple" with his wife sailing around Central America, which he wrote about in an article titled “What quitting my job to sail around central america taught me about fulfillment.”  In this conversation we talk about: Growing up in a small lake community His love of sailing growing up Why him and his wife change their mind on taking the trip in 2015 Rethinking convenience and comfort What comforts are worth paying for Belonging and community How his relationship with money has changed How him and his wife are structuring their life to work how they want The one change that helps people be less addicted to their phones Links Mentioned: Designing Your Life Sprint: How To Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas In Just Five

Hannah Wei has been living as a digital nomad for the last four years traveling across the US, Canada and Southeast Asia.  When she is not working as a product consultant, she trains in Muay Thai, photographs people, and collaborates on local initiatives.   In our conversation we touch on many things, including: Her upbringing in China and move to the US Her creative inspirations as a child and how that evolved as she got older Her experiment to code a bot to swipe on Tinder and tell people’s stories What she has learned from Muay Thai Her decision to compete in a professional Muay Thai fight in Thailand What Muay Thai that has taught her about burnout, performance and success How she defines success as a nomad depending on the region she is in Follow Hannah Hannah’s Website Hannah on Twitter: @herlifeinpixels Her personal review Notion group How to pack up your life in eight steps Tinder Photography Bot Experiment  Want to support the podcast?  Offer a one-time or recurring donation o

I talked to Alastair Humphreys after he had returned the previous night from a micro-adventure.  It wasn't a four year biking trip or a challenging long walk across the desert (he's done that though!), but instead a short overnight camping trip with himself to re-connect with nature and his adventurous spirit.  He helps others think about how they can design similar micro-adventures to find joy in the "5 to 9" rather than doing everything in service of the 9 to 5. Links Mentioned: Alastair Humphries Subscribe to his newsletter "living adventurously" His new book: My Midsummer Morning: Rediscovering How to Live Adventurously Hardcover – May 30, 2019  Want to support the podcast?  Offer a one-time or recurring donation on Boundless. 

After attending a few corporate recruiting sessions, he didn't take for granted that his path was to enter the corporate world.  Twenty years later, he is still carving his own path and has recently returned from Koh Lanta, where he lived with his three children in Thailand for the last six months.  We Talked About Ben starting a "tribe" in Fiji Early internet adventures His experiences coaching people with career transition The decision to move to Thailand with his three kids for six months Using "no code" tools to start things like Rebel Book Club How to think about a career in today's world How finding a friend is one of the most important things to head in a new direction Links Mentioned: Ben Keene's site Rebel Book Club Tribe Wanted Fiji Right to Dream Escape The City Moving to Koh Lanta with three kids His experience after the six-months in Thailand The 100 year life (book) Curiosity Conversations with Paul Want to support the podcast?  Offer a one-time or recurring donat

Heather McGowan is the most thoughtful writer and speaker I follow on the future of work. She is able to connect the dots between work, culture, society and identity in a way that has captured the attention of many individuals, companies and universities around the world.  Heather’s career is also a perfect example of the type of path and work that was not possible in the past.  Reflecting on her path she admits “this field just sort of emerged.”  As her career has shifted more towards speaking, she has been able to design her life around learning.  Through her talks, she is able to get feedback and combined with her own curiosity, it helps her focus on what to learn next.   In the working world, she focuses on how we can think about learning and work in a more holistic way and traces many challenges back to education.  She cites research from Gallup showing that: “while 74% of surveyed fifth-graders are engaged with school, just 32% of surveyed 11th-graders are engaged.”  Perhaps some of that disengagement i