Boundless: The Human Side Of Work

Wade Foster was graduating during the worst recession in the past 100 years and traditional employers were simply not hiring anyone. He reached out to a local software company in Missouri and talked them into hiring him to work on marketing. The experience "opened his eyes" to the digital world and the enormous opportunities that were beginning to emerge. He also tapped into a "thirst for developing new skills" that pushed him to learn how to code.The idea for Zapier emerged from some work Wade was doing with his friend Brian to connect different apps on the internet. They brought the idea to Startup Weekend in Missouri and ended up building a prototype of what would later form the foundation of Zapier. By Monday morning, they were committed to spending time on it and seeing where it would go.Seven years later, Wade is the CEO of that company and he is leading it as a remote company. Wade shares reflections on building a remote company and the fact that you have to default to trust and be very intentional abo

Nemo Ashong's bold vision is "a truly inclusive and empowered world" He helps people to be fully expressed and to be more authentic, be more unique and be more powerful.This conversation brought out some vulnerability in both of us and we barely scratched the surface around some tough topics like diversity, & inclusion. I live for this type of tough conversation and appreciate that podcasts give the kind of space to explore topics with nuance. I'm not sure we ended up with any clear answers, but I think had the type of conversation filled with respect and curiosity that can enable us to go deeper with each other and with other people.Connect With Nemo:Empjoyment1-On-1 Coaching With NemoWorld Joy Movement------BoundlessConsider supporting the podcast on PatreonJoin 110+ People Carving Their Own Paths In The Slack CommunitySet Up A Curiosity Conversation With PaulJoin The Free 3-Week Self-Employment ChallengeSign up For The Strategy Toolkit - Learn The Secrets Of Strategy Consulting

Ervin Ling followed the default path as an actuary, passing test after test. After passing all the tests, he found himself working harder than he was ever working. As he stared at the television and saw his friends on TV during a weekend trip to the Final Four, he realized he didn't want to keep doing this. He declared (after a few drinks, nonetheless) to his friends, "If UConn wins the national championship, I'm going to quit my job."As any good number-driven actuary would, he didn't quit his job immediately. He took about 18 months to plot his escape from the corporate world. During this time, he re-thought his relationship with money, his possessions and his relationships with friends and family. He ended up traveling around the world for 12 months. Here are some stats from his trip:Total USD spent: $24,740Total days on the road: 338Total countries visited: 38 (including the USA)Most days in a single country: 30 (Vietnam)Total number of miles traveled: 68,307 (109,925 km) – equivalent to circling the earth

Ted Bauer is a freelance writer and content strategist who writes prolifically about the future of work. In this episode, he talks about some of his experiences in the corporate world. He shares a story of how he broke the record for the number of story ideas when he first joined ESPN which both captures his frustrations with the corporate world and also illuminates his process of how he generates new ideas for his writing.  We talk a bit about technology and his view is that people are using technology not to engage with people but to hide from them. His view of the future of work is simple - it's about moving back to in-person, human to human engagement and questioning a lot of the things we take for granted in modern organizations.Twitter: @tedbauer2003Ted's Writing & Blog: The Context Of ThingsJoin The ConversationJoin the exclusive Slack Boundless Community & engage with other people carving their own pathSignup for the newsletter

While Shayne has built a successful marketing consulting firm, there was no "plan" to do this. His first exposure to marketing was out of necessity - his professor let students boost their low economics grades by joining the marketing group he ran. Shayne quickly applied the lessons to his DJ gigs on the side in college and became more interested in how to build real relationships with people through incredible experiences. He brings this same passion to his work today.Shayne has had many "dumb" ideas, but he would argue that most ideas (good and bad) start out as dumb ideas. The difference is the people with the courage to keep moving and respond to feedback. He has called the entrepreneurship journey "one of the most humbling things he has done in his life." From this humility and willingness to stay vulnerable, Shayne has been able to build a successful digital marketing firm. So what's his secret? He shares four key steps to turn your own "dumb idea" into something that might work:Write down the ideas, ma

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Jacqueline Jensen has been a digital nomad for 3.5 years, living and working globally. It might surprise you to find out then, that she's written a book called "Travel Isn't The Answer." While counter-intuitive, she argues for a return to awe and wonder with what is already around us. She talks about different moments of wonder she has experienced (including a breathtaking view in Montenegro) and different techniques for how people can "Live With a Sense of Curiosity, Passion, and Awe Anywhere and Everywhere" (the subtitle of the book).Last year, in a planned sabbatical she came face-to-face with the fact that work was the center of her world. While she almost "quit" the sabbatical, she pushed herself to redefine her day and time to claim back some of herself from a sole focus on work.  She provides many actionable tips and perspectives that can help people question the role of work in their lives, take steps to increase the amount of awe in their lives and connect with people that matter to them.More About J

Dr. Laura Gallaher joins me from Serbia, where she is part of Remote Year, a community that travels to twelve locations within a year with a cohort of people working remotely. Laura is an organizational psychologist who studied humor and communication in the workplace and notably completed a dissertation with "that's what she said" in the title (office fans, anyone?). With a title like that it was probably clear that Academia would be too limiting for her. We talk a bit about humor and how it can be helpful or destructive in an organization. She first points out that "aggressive" humor - even if you mean well is rarely a way to strengthen bonds. We then talk about how leaders can embrace humor, especially to show their vulnerability, and give their teams more freedom to make mistakes, be open and be themselves. After getting her Ph.D., she worked with NASA after the Columbia explosion and worked on some of the toughest "they fell victim to the same thing that could happen in any organization." She notes that

Andrew is a Practical Philosopher who believes that "there may be no greater vexation in our time than the question of how to make a living in a manner that accords with leading a good life." We dive deep into the questions of "what is the good life?" and what he means by "sustaining life." He also shares his perspective on the concept of "Total Work," a phrase first put forth in 1947 by the German Philosopher Josef Pieper and shares how that phrase became central to his current writing on the topic and conversations he has with business leaders and executives.We also dive into his dichotomy of the three modes people could think about to make a living:Use what you've gotExchange what's in handOffer what you canHe reflects on our modern cultures over-reliance on exchanging our time for money while ignoring how we can live off the land and operate within the gift economy. Next, we talk about some of the different modes of living (whether it be a "settler", nomad or somewhere in between) and the implications for

Paul provides a summer update:Shifting the podcast from making sense of the future of work => "The Human Side Of The Future Of Work"Early lessons from the digital course experiment, Solopreneur ShiftI'm moving to Asia...Boundless LinksMy article on beanie babies and doing things that don't make sense = > yes, pleaseCheck out the latest tools, including the Freelance Target Income CalculatorWant an e-mail of 5 good reads every Sunday? Subscribe to #boundlessreads**This podcast is supported via micro-donations. Consider supporting the 10+ other patrons on Patreon**

Tony grew up around entrepreneurs but did not use the label at the time. At age 19, he was going to college in Maryland and felt the pull to something bigger.  He decided to move to New York City with $300 to his name and started modeling to pay the bills.  He got a lot of pushback from the people in his life about the move but knew he had to take the leap. Despite many setbacks and almost running out of many several times, he kept his head down and stayed in the city, saying to himself "you cannot leave."His path only makes sense looking backward. He has had a wide range of jobs and gigs over the last ten years in New York and is now starting to see all the pieces come together into something that makes sense with who he is and what he has to offer to the world. We talk a lot about how he thinks about building relationships and connections and how some surprising relationships have come back around (including a job he was fired from!) to help him in his current entrepreneurial adventures.Find Tony Here =>

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In this short "reflection" episode, I check in on where my head is at one year into my freelance journey and share some of the opportunities I have had, how I have changed my mindset over the last year and how people have reacted to me carving a different path in the world. Some things mentioned in the show:Links:Awakening - Quitting The Default PathQuestioning Work

Luke grew up on a commune and then ended up as a co-founder and CEO of a startup that raised $87 million. He talks about his unique path and how that shaped his thoughts about building an organization. He raises the central tension of organizations in a free market economy - the fact that our corporations are run more like authoritarian states with centrally planned economies than free-markets. We talk about lessons he learned as he built his company and his perspective that he shares in his article: "Why People Hate Working For Big Companies" on Medium.Lukes long-term interests are software that helps people, making better founders, the intersection of organizations and economics, and improving inclusion in the information economy. You can find his work at http://lukekanies.com/.---------------------------------------------------------------------Podcast Information: #BoundlessPodBecome a Supporter Of The Podcast for $1 a month: Patreon

Candace was first inspired by her mother who always looked for solutions to problems rather than admitting defeat so always had an entrepreneurial spirit. She had also been practicing yoga for several years (also with her mother) before deciding to invest more time and signing up for a Yoga workshop in Thailand while recovering from a challenging case of lyme disease. This leap of faith led to her thinking about yoga more seriously and starting to experiment with different projects such as a DVD and online videos. Over the past few years, this has taken off and YogaByCandace has evolved into a community, a company with a team and has enabled her to teach workshops all over the world (including to 1,000+ people in the middle east), write a book called Namaslay and have a chance to personally impact many people. Check out this episode to hear lessons learned, challenges and her perspective on gratitude, setting intentions and generosity.Connect With Candace:Instagram: YogaByCandaceYoutube: YBC ChannelBuy The Bo

Stephen has been self-employed for more than 18 years. At first, it was by accident. He referred to himself as a “reluctant freelancer.” We talk about how that mindset evolved into one where he now sees self-employment as THE option for today’s world. He is the founder of Life Skills That Matter, a platform, and community to help people to build the real skills they need to build a life they are proud of.There are many future of work “thought leaders” but that title would sell Stephen too short. He has been in the weeds experimenting in his own life and has helped hundreds of people carve their own paths in the world that I would instead call him the wise elder statesman of the freelance economy. If you have ever thought about working for yourself, I recommend Stephen’s work over my own.Stephen puts the emerging trends bluntly: “The only work left is managing yourself. If your going to manage yourself, you mine as well work for yourself.”To get started, he pushes people to “work on creating…you’re not just go

Nita Baum is a rock star self-employed freelancer. She has been working on her own for over a decade and now splits her time across many domains, describing herself as an "entrepreneur, co-creator, facilitator, mentor-coach, and community-builder." A lot of her current work focuses on supporting and working with people who are carving their own paths as freelancers, which evolved from her helping hundreds of people informally over the year. In 2013, she turned this into a business, launching b*free in 2013 as a platform "by freelancers for freelancers" to help people with the transition to self-employment as the future of work evolves.One of her core beliefs is that you can "design the contribution you want to give from the inside out." We discuss this and more including her perspective coaching freelancers, working as an independent consultant, some of the blocks people face when taking a leap and much more about the evolving future of work.--------------------------------------------------------------------

This was an interview of Paul on the Unleashed podcast hosted by Will Bachman, who is the founder of Umbrex, a platform for independent consultants.Will's podcast interviews many freelancers who are working independently and I can't recommend it enough. Check out the unleashed Podcast => Subscribe Today------Weekly #BoundlessReads Newsletter - 5 Things Every Week: Subscribe NowBook Recommendations Mentioned:Designing Your Life, BurnettHow Will You Measure Your Life, ChristensenTuesday's With Morrie, AlbomLast Lecture, PauschSurvival In Auschwitz, LeviThe Righteous Mind, Why Good People Disagree On Politics & Religion, HaidtThe Art Of Learning, WaitzkinAnything You Want: 40 Lessons For a New Kind Of Entrepreneur, SiversAntifragile, TalebCourse: 60 Minute Dream Job Resume & Personal Story Course

Damien Peters is a self-described "personal finance nerd" - which explains how he ended up founding WealthNoir.com, a platform to preach and teach about the importance of financial freedom and generational wealth to Black millennial professionals. He started blogging over ten years ago and has recently focused more on writing as he increases his focus on building Wealth Noir. Damien is also a big fan of travel and recently made the decision to move out of San Francisco and move with his family and son to Spain, where he will focus on building his company remotely. We talk about a range of topics including his passion for writing, how he defines success, his influences, how to run a remote company and his relationship with money.Book Recommendations:The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive ThinkingSmall Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of BigFour Hour Work-Week, Tim FerrissPersonal Finance Influences:Afford Anything, Paula PantBigger Pockets, Real Estate InvestingFinancial S

Connor's path as an entrepreneur began when he was in college via an AIM chat with a classmate in one of his classes. What started as a textbook e-commerce business led him to build a sizeable business selling things on Amazon.com. Through his work on that, he ended up working with many freelancers across the globe on a variety of different projects. Realizing that he had developed skills in recruiting and working effectively with freelancers led him to start FreeUp.com. where he vets the best freelancers in the world and helps companies tap into this global talent pool.Connor Gillivan is the CMO of FreeUp.com. He has sold over $30 million online, has hired hundreds of freelancers to build his companies, is a published author, and is the owner of ConnorGillivan.com. Connor is driven by making a positive impact on others through the companies that he builds. He currently lives in Denver, CO.Podcast Recommendation: Marketing School with Neil Patel and Eric SiuConnect With Connor: Contact Connor-----------------