I did not anticipate one of the biggest struggles in my 20s would be making friends. It was so easy in high school and college when I was surrounded by people. Although I have been lonely at times, I rarely spoke about it. I guess I had shame around feeling lonely but that line of thinking is changing for me. It initially started when I was preparing for episode 49 with Michael Bauman where we discussed loneliness. That opened up my eyes to the fact that more people are lonely than I thought. Th...
Sep 26, 2022•51 min•Ep. 72
I feel like I always gravitate towards stories about taking a chance. Ahmad Jabbir’s story about how he went above and beyond during his job interview comes to mind. I really enjoy them and these stories provide a much needed reminder. As I get older, I feel like I’m making more conservative choices. If that is true or not, objectively I’m not sure I could say. I think it is important to try things that might include risk, assuming it has positive upside and you’ve considered how you can minimiz...
Sep 12, 2022•45 min•Ep. 71
Going into college, Grace was pre-med and planning on becoming a doctor. She found out through taking classes and trying internships, that this wasn’t the right path for her. Instead, her twisted journey led her to therapy. Although this wasn’t her plan going into college, Grace shares that looking back now, she’s really appreciated the unclear route. What’s the fun in having an obvious and predictable plan? But I get it, no one likes feeling lost either. Now as a therapist, Grace supports her c...
Aug 29, 2022•55 min•Ep. 70
Rose Lounsbury is a simplicity coach, speaker, and author of the book, Less: Minimalism, For Real . Rose’s minimalist journey started with being an overwhelmed mom, and I really mean overwhelmed. She is the mom of triplets. She’d come home from work, start her second shift of being a mom, and finally get her 3 2-year-olds to bed just in time to spend her last waking hour cleaning up the mess from the day. Rose was tired of this but didn’t know what to do until a friend mentioned minimalism. She ...
Aug 15, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 69
There is nothing better than waking up in the morning feeling refreshed and energized. I love a good night’s sleep. On the flip side, if I didn’t get enough quality sleep, I might as well just take the L and call it a personal day. As soon as I learned this about myself, I became attune to good sleep habits. I have no idea how I survived through college with an inconsistent sleep schedule, late night drinking, and early morning call times. I never looked at sleep as a critical aspect of my healt...
Aug 01, 2022•52 min•Ep. 68
I try not to dwell on many regrets in life but one opportunity I wish I would have taken advantage of was my university’s study abroad program. I went on my first international trip outside of North America in 2015, the week following my college graduation. I knew I was going to have fun and I was excited to explore Europe but I didn’t realize how much it would change my perspective on life. I’ve been prioritizing traveling ever since then and it’s one of the few universal suggestions I encourag...
Jul 18, 2022•53 min•Ep. 67
I never realized how much of an impact my manager could have on my job satisfaction until I’ve had both the good and the lousy. Experiencing both has assured me one thing, I want to become an exceptional leader. To continue learning, I consume a lot of leadership content. One of my favorite creators I come across is Makeda Andrews. I really liked her straight-forwardness, relatable advice, and of course, all of the bright colors. I was actually surprised to find out Makeda started her profession...
Jul 04, 2022•52 min•Ep. 66
I have something different for you today. This is a replay from my good friend Andrew Biernat’s show: Your Personal Growth, Personal Brand Podcast. Andrew asked me a lot of great questions about The Struggle is Real including how the show got started, how I go about selecting topics and guests, and the one person who really influences my conversations. Of course, it is hard for me to take my podcaster hat off. I turned the tables and asked Andrew a few questions as well. One thread in particular...
Jun 20, 2022•53 min•Ep. 65
You all know I’m a sucker for a good early retirement story. Jackie Cummings Koski retired at 49 years old and now spends her time creating a financially literate society. Retiring in your 40s is impressive in itself but Jackie did this with no head start. She grew up in poverty with her dad and 5 siblings. She barely graduated college with passing grades because she had to work full-time. Then Jackie went on to raise her daughter as a single mom after an early divorce. Does that sound like a ca...
Jun 06, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 64
With high school teachers and porn stars being our instructors, I’m not surprised sex is awkward and unrealistic. But at least we have our friends to talk to, right? Well through my personal experience, we are comfortable boasting about the highs of our sex life but I don’t hear too much conversation about body image issues, pre-mature ejaculation, and depleting sex drive. As you can see from the title and our intro so far, today’s conversation is going to be a bit explicit. Our guest is a strai...
May 23, 2022•59 min•Ep. 63
If you’ve spent any amount of time in the working world, you probably know how much meetings can consume the work week. I’m crazy and I actually track this metric. On average, I’ve spent 9.4 hours a week in meetings or 23% of my week. Meetings aren’t going anywhere. They seem to be the default modality of getting things done and I have to agree, meetings make sense for some situations. If I’m going to continue to spend a ¼ of my career in meetings, I want to be good at running them. Surprisingly...
May 09, 2022•52 min•Ep. 62
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 an...
Apr 25, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 61
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. Speak...
Apr 11, 2022•49 min•Ep. 60
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 dom...
Mar 28, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 59
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 ...
Mar 21, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 58
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 wildl...
Mar 14, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 57
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 conve...
Feb 28, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 56
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 understan...
Feb 14, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 55
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 differe...
Jan 31, 2022•57 min•Ep. 54
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, Harr...
Jan 17, 2022•50 min•Ep. 53
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 ...
Jan 03, 2022•53 min•Ep. 52
With New Year’s quickly approaching, I’m guessing you will be thinking about how you want to spend more of your free time in 2022. Friends, family, and your health are all great choices but I want to dangle one more idea out there: a side project. A side project is something that you do aside from your primary job but unlike hobbies, they have a sense of effort and thoughtfulness in their approach. Examples could be starting a blog, creating an app, or forming a band. Side projects are a great w...
Dec 20, 2021•53 min•Ep. 51
For many of us, student loans are a huge financial burden throughout our 20s and well into our 30s. Student loans can be hard to keep up with because payments can be the same amount as mortgages. But unlike mortgages, I’m guessing you didn’t spend too much time understanding this debt before agreeing to it. I know that was the case for me. I went through all of college without understanding the difference between subsidized and unsubsidized loans. In college, it was easy to forget about how we w...
Dec 06, 2021•51 min•Ep. 50
In this extraordinary era of pandemic isolation, it makes sense that people are feeling more alone than ever. Although stay-at-home orders and social distancing exacerbated loneliness, this trend started way before COVID. This rise of loneliness has caught the interest of many health professionals and is now being labeled as the new smoking. Cited as being as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, that has me wondering what’s changed and more importantly, what can we do about it? Sharing his ins...
Nov 22, 2021•49 min•Ep. 49
With the demand for help, and lack of candidates, many employers have turned to outbound recruiting. Many of my friends tell me they have been contacted by recruiters, former employers, and even a random encounter. Some don’t budge. Others have jumped at a new chance. Either decision could be right. Let’s discuss vetting a job opportunity. Today I’ll share my process for qualifying, evaluating, and deciding on job opportunities. By listening, you’ll hear me discuss: Uncovering job, team, and org...
Nov 08, 2021•24 min•Ep. 48
Nothing kills the mood like discussing money issues but as much as we don’t want it to be a reality, money is a significant aspect of relationships. If a couple isn’t on the same page financially, you can almost guarantee a bumpy road ahead. There are countless studies that demonstrate money related issues being a major source of divorce and most of these issues aren’t tactical differences, they’re rooted in emotions. This conversation today is about creating a common bond around money with your...
Oct 25, 2021•55 min•Ep. 47
Today’s guest is the spunky J. Kelly Hoey, author of Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships In A Hyper-Connected World. Along with being an author, Kelly is a sought out speaker for her networking insights. She also has some pretty cool accolades including: -Forbes’ 1 of 5 Women Changing the World of VC/Entrepreneurship -Business Insider’s 1 of the 100 Most Influential Tech Women On Twitter -Inc.’s 1 of 10 Most Well-Connected People in New York City's Startup Scene Crazy enough...
Oct 11, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 46
My little brother, Kyle, joins me on the podcast to discuss his favorite takeaway from Episode 44: one-on-one meetings. We discussed why one-on-one meetings could serve you at work. We outline our one-on-one meeting structure. Finally, Kyle shares how he asked for more one-on-one time and made it easy for his manager to say yes. Key Takeaways: [3:59] Universal reasons one-on-one conversations are important [11:49] Kyle and Justin’s one-on-one meeting structure with their managers [17:34] How Kyl...
Oct 10, 2021•28 min•Ep. 45
Ben Brearley has been leading people for over 15 years. He saw the struggle managers had with the balancing act of leadership. Ben started writing articles to serve those who aspired to be an attentive and considerate manager. At the time, Ben didn’t realize this would change the trajectory of his career. These posts turned into the Thoughtful Leader blog where Ben has been sharing leadership content for over 5 years. He started a podcast under the same name and also serves as a coach for leader...
Sep 26, 2021•52 min•Ep. 44
After college, Cara Hays found herself battling with two identities. Her future self that prioritized her values and her past self that continued to distract with bad habits. One day Cara decided it was time to look forward without looking back and she made a commitment with herself to accelerate that decision. For the next 6 months, Cara decided to say no to drinking and dating. Two areas where she knew a hard stop would give her clarity. On top of that, each month she’d focus on another area o...
Sep 13, 2021•54 min•Ep. 43
