When life handed me false summits, my mentor Will Schiller was the compass that guided me back to authenticity and alignment with my values. In an enriching dialogue, Will helps unravel the intricate tapestry of values-driven leadership, and together, we discuss the art of creating content with genuine connections at its heart. We reject the hollow victory of social media clout, instead finding solace and success in podcasting's ability to nurture meaningful exchanges.
Navigating business and personal landscapes, this episode is steeped in stories of transformation — from the challenges of fatherhood to the intentional constraints set for a balanced life. Will and I lay bare our paths to discovering our zones of genius, emphasizing the importance of clarity over strategy. We weave through the fabric of entrepreneurship, where the commitment to one's truth can not just change businesses but lives, reshaping the very definition of success.
Join us as we share how embracing imperfections and fostering authenticity can build trust deeper than any polished facade. We delve into the rejuvenating power of commitment, whether it's the dedication required for trail running or the resilience needed for entrepreneurial ventures. This episode is a clarion call to align your actions with your values, finding clarity and purpose in both your personal narrative and business undertakings.
Connect with Will Schiller
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- LinkTree
Connect with Me
IG: @matthewpaetz
Start Here to Find Out - What's Blocking You From Making Your First $100k?
When life handed me false summits, my mentor Will Schiller was the compass that guided me back to authenticity and alignment with my values. In an enriching dialogue, Will helps unravel the intricate tapestry of values-driven leadership, and together, we discuss the art of creating content with genuine connections at its heart. We reject the hollow victory of social media clout, instead finding solace and success in podcasting's ability to nurture meaningful exchanges.
Navigating business and personal landscapes, this episode is steeped in stories of transformation — from the challenges of fatherhood to the intentional constraints set for a balanced life. Will and I lay bare our paths to discovering our zones of genius, emphasizing the importance of clarity over strategy. We weave through the fabric of entrepreneurship, where the commitment to one's truth can not just change businesses but lives, reshaping the very definition of success.
Join us as we share how embracing imperfections and fostering authenticity can build trust deeper than any polished facade. We delve into the rejuvenating power of commitment, whether it's the dedication required for trail running or the resilience needed for entrepreneurial ventures. This episode is a clarion call to align your actions with your values, finding clarity and purpose in both your personal narrative and business undertakings.
Connect with Will Schiller
- IG
- LinkTree
Connect with Me
IG: @matthewpaetz
Start Here to Find Out - What's Blocking You From Making Your First $100k?
In this episode I get to sit down with Will Schiller. He's a longtime friend and mentor of mine. Will has shaped the way I run my business by teaching me the power of leading from my values instead of my needs.
Speaker 1:This conversation is for any coach or business owner who's looking to redefine who's success means to them so that they, too, can build a kind of business that feels like freedom, instead of one that just looks impressive. What you'll learn is how an authentic content strategy allows for genuine conversations, why putting constraints on the growth of your business and prioritizing personal well-being can lead to a more fulfilling life, and how creating from truth and aligning your actions with your core values is essential for a long-term success and fulfillment. This is so important because, as you know, personal development is crucial for building a successful business, and trust is the currency of business, and authenticity is the key to building trust. The thing I love about this is the podcast, the idea of it. It's less about it being some successful podcast and more about this is the, quite frankly, the content strategy that feels the most authentic to me.
Speaker 1:As you know, I've had a long history of not liking social media for many reasons, but understanding the power and the importance of being able to reach more people that are seeking information and guidance and opportunity and just kind of true conversation.
Speaker 1:Here's what I don't do well is hold the phone and teach like this. I've never really I don't know, it's just not been my style but what I've always loved is being in authentic conversations with people that I admire and inspire me. That's where I find that a lot of the stuff I wish people could hear comes out. So it just clicked that hosting a podcast and having these conversations with people like yourself was the only way for me to do it in a way that felt authentic to me, versus it being some curated thing that I'm doing in hopes that people respond. Well, then go into my funnel and do all this. They fuck all that. Like, I can't Like. It's not how I want to run my business and it's certainly not how I want to live my life. So what I found is this platform is, quite frankly, the best of all worlds, because you can record beautiful conversations for an hour and chop it up however many ways make sense, and this thing gets to live and hopefully, people find some value in it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, yeah, the best. Two good points there. Number one I think the best content is the content you create that you don't even mean to you Like you just kind of maybe there's just someone recording, but you're just having a candid, casual conversation. That's by far the best types of quote unquote content I think you can make. And then also with what you're doing with this in terms of having a podcast and then at YouTube I think you said it can live longer, exactly you said, instead of just being 24 hours on Instagram or on Facebook and then it's down the feed with your next post, this is something that can live for years, right? Whatever this title is going to be, it can blow up in 2027. I don't know. So it's more an asset, right, which is a great move for you, man. So I'm pumped to see what this year's in store for you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I find, too, that my own personal experience and I've now heard this in countless times with others is chasing the algorithms or chasing the next hot platform or doing any of that kind of stuff. It works for some if that's your thing and if you really enjoy posting that type of content or creating that type of content for these platforms, but if you're someone who doesn't really enjoy it or doesn't want to keep up with it or just feels like a chore of some kind, this is the way that I think makes the most sense. Because, like I said, this for me it's not about the podcast becoming successful. If that happens, awesome. But what this is for me is really the content strategy. It's authentic conversations with real people that have real valuable things to share, be a light business, all the above, and it just needs to live and be used wherever platforms, wherever people are going to touch right, because if it's there's a link, you can spread it. If there's video, you can chop it. If it's audio, you can you know, shoot it out there, or you can just transcribe this and post quotes or whatever comes through. So for me, this is kind of the Russian doll approach to content where it's, you get to spend one hour and it can be used in a thousand different ways, for whatever, in whatever ways you know people find valuable.
Speaker 1:But with all of that being said, I'm super curious One. Just how the hell are you, my friend? Like you said, it's been about a year since we've actually caught up. I would love to know just actually this comes from. I was just journaling before we jumped on here and thinking about 2024 and you know which is quickly approaching. You know, just a few days away at this point. But instead of just launching into 24, my vision for 24, I really had to sit and reflect on what 23 has been. There's been some substantial changes in life and you know good, bad, all the indifferent. But with that in mind, I'd love to know what your last year like, if you just like, what have been your takeaway.
Speaker 2:Oh man, that's a great question and I have something similar planned for this weekend to do to sit down and ask myself these exact questions that I asked yourself. But for me it was definitely a different year, just in terms of me being a father now with our and how old is she? I was in 16 month old daughter and then just being a husband and running a business and everything else that goes with that.
Speaker 2:It was a different year in the sense of when we first got connected, that which was when 2019 or around there, and I was in growth mode in terms of business for many, many years, and I was just constantly in that mode.
Speaker 2:I didn't care what the year was, I didn't care what the month was, I was just focused on growing my company, whereas in 2023, this past year I had to put constraints on my business and how many hours I was allowed to work, like just for myself, how many hours I allowed myself to work or even just think about business, about making money, about getting clients, all those different things, so that I was able to A create the white space, to be myself and to hear myself think and to for lack of a better phrase, so cliche, but pour into your own cup first and then, b also be there and create space and have a good quality presence with my daughter and Morgan and just overall family and be connected in a way that I haven't been connected ever, because I've never been in that before.
Speaker 2:So it's all learning, but I would say, yeah, for me those were, in terms of this past year some of the biggest shifts that I've gone through, and it's not to go in a tangent here, but it's such an incredible thing putting constraints on your growth like that, or whatever rules that you have. It's not necessarily a scale it all costs, or grow, it all costs mentality, because that's very expensive financially, energetically. Just time wise be more efficient with your time, with your energy, with your resources. That's very much the season I was in in 2023 and honestly going into 2024, even more so.
Speaker 2:I'm actually going to try and work even less but still have the company be at a similar rate, if not better, but more and more putting those constraints on my time, my energy, so that I'm able to holistically live the life that I want to live.
Speaker 2:I've never, ever, ever, I think, is why we got connected. That I've never been that business owner, that online scale row type guy who wants to fly into private jets and the leaves and stuff like that, like fuck man. I just want to live a good life and I just want to take my family out to a nice dinner. I want to be able to rent a fancy as cabin in the woods with them every so often, sweet air B&B, and have the time and resources to do that. That's pretty much my ceiling, minus a couple other things I'll talk to you about later. But that's my vision, man, building something in alignment with that and staying true to that instead of seeing what other people in the industry are doing and being skewed and swayed towards recency bias is something that's important, something I've really worked on this past year. So anyway, man, long way to be saying things are good.
Speaker 1:No, I love and appreciate this more than you know, because you know and starting more than a business, right, that name came to me for out of this very thought process, out of this conversation of you know, realizing that I got, I became so exhausted by the, the need or the desire to appear impressive, right, and you know all of the metrics and all these things that we kind of get caught up to, and for me it really stemmed from a place of insecurity and a place of kind of imposter syndrome where I felt like, oh, if I had the numbers or if I did this, I did that, then I would be taken seriously, then I would be respected or, more importantly, then I would be enough, right, and what I kept finding is, anytime I achieved or got close, or I mean even surpassed in some cases, some of those ideas that I had, those numbers that I thought were the thing, I found that it was a false summit, right, and I'm not just saying that philosophically, like literally. I got there, I was like this is this feels awful as much as it was exciting, right, but with the expectation that it was going to fulfill something that was external, or actually fulfill something internal via the external. I just felt it was like a swing and a miss right. It was exhausting. And so, hearing you describe that vision of being able right Cause that's what I hear what you talk about it's like it's not about having all of the things all the time, it's not about having all the free time all the time or doing what you want all the time, but rather it's being able Right, like I feel like that's what we're all actually striving for and you know to need or assume that it's supposed to be.
Speaker 1:More than that, I think, is where someone here was caught up and lost and actually can create something that feels more debilitating or disappointing. I think that's something else that's just coming to me in real time, like how often and I know I'd be curious to know what experiences you've had with this personally or in supporting others but how often someone's greatest success actually became one of the biggest disappointments. Yeah Right, because you thought it was going to be something that maybe it wasn't, and then you're kind of left with I mean, I just worked my ass off to get here and it wasn't the thing, so fuck now what? Yeah, but I'd be curious, like what your thoughts are or what experiences you've had with that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know what? It's funny you bring that up. I actually see it both ways, right? Like a lot of times, someone's success is their biggest disappointment, and then also vice versa, a lot of times someone's biggest disappointment is actually the linchpin and the platform for their biggest success, right, so it's the duality, is there the polarity? I should say so. I see it both sides today to answer that question. But to go even deeper, I mean I can relate to it personally, man, I would say 2021.
Speaker 2:I think it was when you were very much involved in what we were building as well as New Age coach back in the day. That 100% was a false summit for me as well. We got to a certain revenue point, which was great, fuck, man. We had, like it fluctuated throughout the time we were building the company, but at its height, I think, we had like 11 team members at once that I was managing, which was which was, in hindsight way more than the revenue we were actually making could handle. Lesson hard learned, lesson hard learned. But yeah, man, that 100% was a false summit for me, because I got to the goal number that I was striving to, but my expenses were super inflated. I was working crazy hours. It was around that time I don't know if you remember this, but it was around that time where my appendix burst and.
Speaker 2:I was out for a couple of weeks and I was super stressed out and that's a like man if your blood goes septic, that's actually a pretty major, a major surgery that you need to get, which I got. So it was a pretty. It was a pretty big holy shit moment for me to kind of reevaluate some things and not to not to go too too deep into this because it's not just my story to tell, but at the time, Morgan and I, my partner, we were going through, yeah, just some rocky moments because I was so focused on growing this company and I wasn't really in a space energetically where I could give to Morgan, my partner, in the way that she needed to be given to in a new budding relationship. Right, I think we were about, we were together for a year and a half or so, so not that long.
Speaker 2:And, yeah, I started to understand that these false summits that you speak of, matt, they, they have such a ripple effect, right, like such a holistic effect, either negatively or positively in certain areas of your life, and I think that's why naming your podcast more and more than a business and just the work that you do with the work on the, I'm starting to get it to more is so important because, yeah, you need to understand the ramifications of the decisions that you make and, just you know, just piggybacking off the answer that I told you about what I went through in 2023 and what I'm focused on in 2024. Yeah, now my decisions affect my daughter, my future family planning on having more kids and there's a lot of responsibility there too right.
Speaker 1:Well, with a mustache like that, you're going to have more kids. It's irresistible, my friend.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm very potent with it. But yeah, brother, it's key and something. This is the name of my podcast and I'd love to have you on as well. I named it. Yeah, man, I named it similarly in the way you named yours, just with my own version of it, and it's called Create From Truth, like that's the name of the podcast and the reason why I named it. That is because that's very much like. Whenever I'm faced with a hard decision, or I need to really think about the things, or there's different decisions that have a lot of upside and I'm forced to pick one, I always come back to that right, like what is the truth of this moment? Right, and what is true for me at this time, because circumstances always change. But what I've known to be true is that when I ask myself that question and I can act in alignment with it, I will never regret the decision that I make and it will never be at this stage in hindsight.
Speaker 2:So for me moving forward and, yeah, just answering the question of false summons that I've seen for myself and other clients, if you're creating from that place, even if you grow something or you get to some goal and it wasn't necessarily what you thought it would be.
Speaker 2:If it was created from a place of truth and integrity and alignment for you, I guarantee you it's just the platform for whatever your next thing is going to be, and it's a good thing at the end of the day.
Speaker 2:Or, on the flip side, you could be to where I was in 2021 growing this huge company and doing it kind of out of alignment and kind of looking at what my competitors were doing and trying to keep up with them, right, and then my pen experts and like other things in my life like my health, my relationship were not where I wanted it to be because of some of the decisions I made and massively scaling this company.
Speaker 2:That wasn't my truth and I had to pay consequences for that and kind of pick up the pieces a few years after for that and get to where I'm at now. Right, but that took a lot of time. So, yeah, when you're growing something, you're really working towards something. I think for me anyway, asking myself that question and knowing what that is and acting in alignment with your core values can never really steer you wrong. But you have to have the space and be quiet, to be able to understand what those answers are right and ask yourself those questions. So yeah, a couple of things that helped me and some clients as well.
Speaker 1:I would love to hear not just the moments, but trying to find a great way to ask this, you know, because it can be very confusing, I think, for many it certainly has been at times for me where you're hearing someone that has arrived in a place that sounds like where you ultimately want to go. Maybe they finally put into words what you've been trying to articulate to yourself, let alone to other. Right, and you know, first, that could be the biggest point, right, when you can just hear someone else say it in the way that you've been trying to, you know, hear it or figure it out on your own for so long, like holy shit, that does exist. But for you personally, being someone who, I mean, you know you were growing the company, you had the things you were doing, well, and I remember, when we met, like you've always been of integrity, right, like there was never a moment that I recall feeling or knowing that what you were saying wasn't coming from truth. You know whether that truth has evolved I won't say changed, but evolved right, it's matured. It was always of integrity in every moment that I ever experienced, you know, with you.
Speaker 1:So I'd love to know, like when you're thinking about this in hindsight, and this is for me as much as anyone else that will ever hear this what, how would you describe? Like what is it that you needed to get to this point where it began to shift from? I keep getting this vision of a treat right, so it goes from, like you know, all the leaps that everyone can see being the most important thing, to what I hear you describing now feels more like the strength of the roots, right, like for you, if that metaphor makes sense. How would what would you say were the moments that really began to shift that perspective or that motivation for you, like for someone that I have, a friend who's been in the industry, I think I guess what I'm trying to say is for someone that hasn't gotten there yet and they're still trying to like figure it out and they think that they need to go here to get there right. What would you say that turning point was for you personally?
Speaker 2:Oh man, that's a really good question. It's hard for me to give like an exact ABC type answer because I couldn't answer those questions. You just asked me over the last 10 or so minutes without going through what I went through, right, like you can't like answer a question, you can't just get there without going through that journey and some of that suck and some of the highs and the lows of what that looks like for you, in order to have that perspective and have the discernment to be able to make decisions in alignment with what your truth is right. So I think the way I would answer that question would be piggybacking off one of my last answers is understand what is the truth in the moment for you, right now that you're looking to build upon, you're looking to grow, you're looking to aspire to be and act in alignment with that and be. And there's seasons in life right Like, for example, I'm in a very different season in life right now with my growth, with the capacity that I just have in order to put into things that I want to achieve in my life. But if you're at a point where you have a lot of capacity and you can put a lot into what you're looking to achieve. If that's your season, by all means like dabbling a lot of different areas.
Speaker 2:Read all the books you can. Listen to all the podcasts. Don't get me wrong. I know there's a lot of fluff out there. You should listen to certain things that are getting there quicker, but the more you can put in the reps, just like a pro athlete, right Like before you. When you're on the come out you are practicing whatever skills. It is that you need to be a professional when you do so.
Speaker 2:If you're in that stage, my advice would be go all in. Make sure it doesn't negatively, massively negatively, affect different areas of your life. But whatever that version is for you to go all in, do it and then be okay with failing. Be okay with re-evaluating your path, re-evaluating your vision, re-evaluating what's important to you, because it's within that pursuit that you're going to learn those things.
Speaker 2:I don't think that you can just learn those things. You don't just have it innately. You have a direction, which is important, and I think you should follow that as well as you can. But it's in the journey, along the way, where you're going to pick up the lessons. That's going to give you the discernment to get to where you want to go over time. Time is the variable and it's taking those action steps to be able to have that perspective, to kind of get to a point where, if you're looking at me and you're saying how can I get to where will is? You can't just get there. You have to go through that journey of whatever that is for you, follow into the truest ability of your heart and your mind, and the only variable is time and you will get there.
Speaker 2:You just need to listen to the science to your heart, to your mind, of what's telling you in that journey, in that pursuit, and you'll eventually get to where you want to go, and that's by far the best advice I can give someone who's in that stage for sure.
Speaker 1:It reminds me of a quote from Tom Billu. He said I think I'm going to get this right. He said something to the effect of you know, if you basically he was describing if you're someone who looks up to him, he's like if you want what I have, he's like stop chasing what I have and start chasing what I've learned. That wasn't the exact one. That's the best of my recollection. It was basically just if you want what I have, stop going after the things and start going after what I've learned, which I thought was really powerful when I came across that a while back, and it's so interesting, like I was writing this morning and I wrote, without pulling it and reading it all, basically what I realized recently that if you're someone who is, you know, committed to transforming yourself, if you're committed to becoming better, if you're committed to whatever that transformation is that you desire in your life and I don't care if it's business, health, relationship, whatever when I look back, as I was thinking about my 2023 and the years prior, the points that have completely transformed my life not just, you know, by circumstance, but into something that I'm proud of right have.
Speaker 1:The one variable in every single one of them was there was a point of no return. I had made a decision that that's what I was going to see through, be at my relationship with Allison. You know we're now eight years in. You know, building our lives together, being in my business. You know those are the two big things and even in some of the moments or some of the seasons that were the most difficult, like I found that it's the point of no return that actually does the heavy lifting for you in so many ways. Right.
Speaker 1:And it hit me because I've recently gotten into trail running and it's my hobby, I guess hobby, but like I will really find a lot of value in it. And I've completed my first organized event and I just set up for a half marathon coming up. And the thing that I find I love about running on trails more than anything else is, unlike a gym, unlike a treadmill, unlike anything else, like there's the you start is no, I mean, the only way to finish it is to finish it Right, it's. You can't just get off the trail and be done, like you know, when you get out there and you're a mile, six, seven, like you're there, so if you're going to, you know finish that race it's because you have to go and finish the race, and I find that you know, what we all need to transform our lives is to identify what's that thing we're unwilling to fail at Right.
Speaker 1:And when I say fail, I don't mean some metric that must be achieved, I mean we're going to see it through and become the version of ourselves that we can trust, holding that responsibility Right and I was thinking about this before we jumped on here.
Speaker 1:Just knowing that you know, you, you have an experience in life right now that I don't yet, but I'm extremely interested to hear more about, which is fatherhood and how that has impacted your relationship with Morgan, your relationship to your business, your definition of success and all these kind of things. And I would just love to know a little more, because that's, I think, the epitome of the point in no return, like right, you can't just check out your father Like, you just know you are that and you have to become the man or woman you know who can carry that responsibility in the way in which I this is my idea that you can carry that responsibility in a way that makes you proud, right, and I would love to know just what that shift has been like for you over the past, you know, year and a half.
Speaker 1:I'll leave it at that. I have 13 more questions that just came from my mind, so I'll just toss it and see where you take us.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, man, I mean, oh, brother it's. I can go a lot of different ways with this answer, but I'll just start with riffing on what's true to me and kind of where my heart's at right now.
Speaker 2:One of one of the biggest things that I've always thought, even before becoming a father, was I wanted to be a present dad who can help if it's a son, if it's a daughter or whoever whatever kids I would have, help them understand who they are and live a life in alignment with that and create the space for that Right and that that was something that I think I had to an extent as a kid, but the freedom and the full expression of that I don't think I ever really had as a kid and that's something that I always kind of made a promise to myself to be able to provide to my kids in a way. And that's something Morgan and I have had to talk to extensively about and is one of the main priorities in parenting we have many, many more and I won't bore you with that, but that's one thing that we were actually just talking about the other day.
Speaker 2:So it's top of mind for me and we have a daughter and we're going to have more kids as well, and one of the main kind of point of no return moments for me, obviously, after Morgan got pregnant, we figured out we're going to have a baby girl was understanding.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm running this business and it's built in a certain way, and here's how my life is set up in order to run this business. Because you can and I'll kind of go a little bit on a tangent here, if you- don't mind but you can't separate the human from the business, like you it's.
Speaker 2:You need to understand that the performance that you're inputting in your business in order to get to a certain point, like those things are connected, right, they are very, very much connected. So, for me, one of the biggest lynching moments for me in terms of making decisions and restructuring things so that I can achieve my definition of success as a father and just building a family, was understanding how can I make sure that I give to myself energetically and in a space where I'm able to shut off from work after I'm done my day, go upstairs because my, my office right now is in the basement go upstairs and be able to create a good, connected space for my family, especially as the masculine like that's, that's one of your roles, right? Especially with me having a daughter. And what I understood was in the way I was running my business before, there were certain aspects of it that were very draining for me energetically and I would. I would go upstairs to my family drink and I wouldn't be my best self and there would be different things, different elements that I saw showing up just for me in terms of how I was being. That wasn't necessarily what I wanted, or an alignment, and it wasn't achieving. Not that this is not that we have goals for a family that we're always striving towards, but I wasn't achieving the feeling right that I wanted to in my family life.
Speaker 2:So for me, it was just rethinking that and resetting goals to understand holistically, like what are the impacts of my being and how can I set up my business, how can I set up my fitness, how can I set up my spirituality practice, how can I set up these different areas in my life, my connection with Morgan, my connection with nature?
Speaker 2:I love to be outside, I love paddleboarding, trail running, everything people said and how can I set up all these different things holistically so that I'm able to Create the space for the most important thing in my life, which is my family, right, and and it's understanding how connected and how intertwined these things are which, to be honest, that I never Really like I understood, but I never really understood in practice for myself In the way that I do now, in the way of becoming a father. So for me, that was, that was one of the biggest things, that in leach pin moments in terms of okay, there's no, there's big, to use your words. There's no point of like, no return now, like I can't go back and undo, and not that I want to. It's the most beautiful thing in the world.
Speaker 2:So, making sure that I'm able to set up the different things in my life to Create the space and create the vision and, more so, the feelings and memories that I want to you with my family, is one of the most important things. So so, yeah, and just to kind of cap that answer as well, what's it? What's also important for me to bring up, just on one thing that you said there In terms of comparing yourself to different people's chapters in life, the social media is a double-edged sword. Like, it's such a beautiful thing to learn and to Create skills and to get inspired and and, to, yeah, just help motivate, get you to where you want to go and see what's possible.
Speaker 2:But it's the double-edged sword in the sense that if you're comparing your current version to, let's say, like a billionaire, like brushes, so that they get, like you're not seeing Everything they went through all the little decisions in order to get to where they're at now and you're comparing your morning routines to theirs, right, because that's just like fun center with social media. So, even with me, right, like with the answers I'm giving, just know that, like, you need to focus on your next few steps, right, like, definitely have the vision in mind and that, that true North Star, whatever that is for you. But also just focus on your, your next few steps, and it don't come this so cliche but like, don't compare your chapter one, someone else's chapter 22 and the reason why I say that, because I Still do. Man, I need to catch myself like I still follow that trap and it's just the way the online world is designed and we all work online nowadays, so so just understanding that, I think, is that's important. But anyway, to two answers in one.
Speaker 1:No, I love this because you touched on probably the the most important thing as far as like, why I am launching more than a business In the promise that I'm making.
Speaker 1:It's because Literally, have it written right here says more than a business, is about changing the narrative of someone's life. It's about giving your life a deeper meaning, a cause or reason, a mission. It's about believing in yourself. And when I'm here when you were talking about the comparing to others right, that might be further along in their journey Then then we feel we are. I think the other thing that really sticks out to me, too is, you know, most of us, it's not about a how right.
Speaker 1:People aren't confused by, like, how to do things more than they think. What they're really missing Is the why. What is their Mission, what is their cause, what is their reason for doing. It is the thing that I think most of us lack clarity around. It certainly has been for me, and you know, when people are like I don't know what to do next or I don't know what, you know how to do something, or they just feel very stuck, I find that they're often Hyper focused on someone else's narrative and they're trying to figure out how to live their story.
Speaker 1:Versus doing that work, that reflection, and saying, okay, what is the story that I want to be living?
Speaker 1:Because the deeper I've gotten into the story I want to live, the more clarity I have found and how I want to do it. Who are the, the people in my life that support that and and you know I'm fulfilled by you know the type of money that that requires and feels good and, like you said earlier, understanding your core values so you can begin to make especially the tough decisions right, because on the surface is going to be a lot of Opportunity. There's gonna be a lot of. You know one thing looks like it'll be a quicker win than the next, like what do you do? And it's you might be in a tough spot, you know, and that that decision is Everybody confronted with that decision and unless you know what your core values aren't, I don't mean the shit that you would just post on the wall that sound nice or the things that you put, you know, on your instagram reels every now and again, like I'm talking about, like when you're really Feet to the fire, like what?
Speaker 1:What decision leaves you feeling proud of yourself? What decision really feels like it's of integrity, um and uh, and I just think that's the most important thing and that's what I found in, in wanting to work with people like yourself who have made the decision at some point that creating a business, but more specifically, one that has a purpose, a mission to be of service to others um, those are the people that I want to work with most. Right, and the reason why, you know, I've made this promise, because I'm not one I actually still I'm working through this a little bit um, but I hate the idea of promising money. I hate the idea of using money as a metric to validate uh ones you know the abilities, or, or you know qualifications or whatever. Um, but the reason why I chose that zero to a hundred k mark if, if you or anyone is listening here is or sees my, uh, my content, my website, has nothing to do with the money at all. I don't give a fuck about a hundred k in the sense of a hundred thousand dollars, but what I have found, and and I learned a lot of this too, and in working with you a new age and supporting you know, all the, the people that were coming through theirs.
Speaker 1:There is an effort that is required. There is a clarity that is required to go from that zero to gaining traction, to building something that earns, you know, a hundred k or more or whatever, especially being able to do it consistently. That that's the part of the journey I fucking love the most, because it's, yes, strategy is important, but clarity is everything Right. And so many people I find are out there hunting for strategy when what they're ultimately needing is clarity. And I don't mean a clear strategy, I mean what's the narrative in the, in your life, what's the story that you want to be living, that that inspires you? And I find that so much simpler. The one that really gets people moving, the story is so much simpler than they ever thought possible has nothing to do with the how impressive has everything to do with the roots, right, not the leaves. And um, so sorry, I'm going on my own tangent here with this is what happens when we, when we hang out, um, but yeah, that's the thing that I, I just value so much is.
Speaker 1:It's the clarity in one's self, in what really matters, and then you get to build a business that supports that narrative versus building a business that you know you hope is successful, or become successful in hopes that that feels Like the narrative you want to be living.
Speaker 2:Bro, I could, I could riff on this with you all day. It's it's so, so important. When I look at some of the most successful clients I've ever worked with, they have three things in common, three C words clarity, which is what you just said. Confidence and certainty in themselves. First, like minus, who their ideal type of client is. Like, what their strategy is, what they offer it is how much of the charge in?
Speaker 2:Like all that stuff is this nuanced and it's just semantics, right, like who? Like who the fuck are you? And do you have that foundation? You know, like your podcast name, beautiful, like more than business. Do you have that foundation that you can put the strategy and everything else on top of? Because if you don't and I've worked with clients who don't like you supported something up and do it Like everything just crumbles, I don't care if you're the best strategy in the world, it's not gonna work unless you have that strong foundation, and I've argued that foundation we could just wrap on this for a little bit is created from Going through like experiences, right, like, in my opinion, that's what gives you discernment, like to be able to make decisions of different Forks in the road that that you can come to is is drawing off of past experiences and understanding what your core values are.
Speaker 1:And one of the most important things like and this is something I'm super committed to in 2024- which is probably the opposite advice that a lot of other business coaches are talking about, but I don't know what you're gonna say, but good.
Speaker 2:But, like dude, spending less and less and less time on tech.
Speaker 2:Like not not just social media, like tech in general, like even even zoom calls, like just supporting clients, like trying to get off, like not totally, because this my business, my life course is how I make money for my family, but spending more time in nature, going on hikes, paddling. Because when it comes to understanding what your core values are and how you can Better guide yourself to make important decisions in your life, if you don't get quiet, you don't a create those core values and then be always put those core values to the test, because sometimes you reevaluate them as you grow. Right, as things change, everybody's lives change. Um, if you're not doing that, then I'd argue your life and you're just kind of like a plastic bag in the middle and like, depending on who gets voted president, or depending on what's happening with the economy, like yeah, very, very much, I'll hijack you. Yeah, man, the quality of your life.
Speaker 1:We're at us. I'm flicks. There's no roots. Are you a coach who has been struggling to do everything yourself? I mean all of the content, the emails, the marketing, not to mention, every time you open your phone, there's a new social media strategy that someone is pitching that just makes you feel like you'll never be able to keep up, when all you really care about is helping people in a meaningful way, while building the kind of coaching business your family can depend on. I'm Matthew Pates, the founder of momentum, a growth agency that specializes in helping coaches, just like you, break through your first 100k. If you're a coach who is tired of trying to figure it all out themselves and you just want to build a business that works, then I'm going to encourage you to click the link in our show notes to take your 100k coaching assessment To find out if you're ready to unlock your six-figure potential today.
Speaker 2:Dude, exactly Exactly, bro. That's a great way to say it's free analogy. So so yeah man, those are those are very, very important things.
Speaker 1:I understand.
Speaker 2:So anyway, I'll throw it over to you to wrap on that. But yeah, that's, that's something that just came up.
Speaker 1:No, I absolutely love it. And, and something else too, I have a book that I'm going to recommend if you haven't read it already. Um, are you familiar with donald miller? Yes, yes, okay, he's been a huge. His work has been a huge influence on my past year, like huge. I've read three or four of his books this year, like it's insane, and I'm rereading them because they were that important. But the one that really like I don't know if you've ever come across a book where you're like fuck, this is the one. This is the book I wish I could have written right, like if I were gonna say this was my kind of book. This, you know, represents exactly what I feel about what I would hope to create. Um, but it's titled hero on a mission.
Speaker 2:Oh, I haven't read that one actually, is that you?
Speaker 1:You're welcome. Yeah, I believe it is. It is his most recent Hero on a mission. It it's, I mean, I know for a fact. You're gonna just highlight the shit out of all of it, so It'll be. That'll be a phone one for us to riff on, because I think it speaks directly to what we're, what we're talking about here, and and that's also why I love, um, you know, going back to the point of no return, going back to the roots. Um, why anyone who has decided that they want to create their own business right, why I love working against specifically a business that is Rooted in service. Right, you want to be of service?
Speaker 1:one because I believe that you know it's, you know purpose stems from our pain or our struggles, right, much like we're describing right now. And if you've been through it enough, you realize how the value, right and the importance of passing that information on or holding space for those that are navigating similar Uh storms, if you will. But the reason why I love working with with entrepreneurs with a mission is because your business Becomes that thing. Then it's the bone and the the dog with a bone analogy, right, and the thing that I love about businesses. I truly believe this. I believe your business is single-handedly the greatest vehicle to transform your life Period. I think it's the greatest vehicle and I understand, you know, marriage and children and these things will do a lot of transforming as well.
Speaker 1:But the reason why I say I believe that business is the greatest vehicle is because, um, like you were saying earlier, the person is the business. Right, your business will never outperform the person running it. It can't, right, your business is completely dependent on you, the, the one who is leading it right, where, unlike, uh, a spouse, or unlike a child, or unlike anything else that you can, essentially, um, you know, um, what's the project, your stuff onto them Right. Your business doesn't go. Fuck what your early childhood struggles are. Your business doesn't give a damn what the market does. Your business doesn't give a shit who's president like. It can only go as far as you can take it Right. So I find that it's the greatest reflection to oneself one struggles one's abilities, and there's, it's always.
Speaker 1:And here's another thing there's always a way to, to move forward, right, it's never a hard stuff. So, whatever the struggle is, whatever the, the disappointment, whatever the, the money loss, whatever the market change, your business can survive all of it. If you're curious, open-minded, resilient, committed, you'll figure it out. And the other reason why I think business is so important Is one it can only, it only grows if it truly adds value to someone else. No one invests in your business if it's about you, right it's.
Speaker 2:That's not how your business is going to grow.
Speaker 1:If it's about you, but if you make your business, your mission, ie To to be of service to others, your business will will find traction eventually somewhere, somehow, if you keep showing up to that. And the other reason why I say that business is so important is because it's also the only thing in our lives that are of that list of importance that actually provides financial means, right? So so much of our life is dependent on resources, and resources and being in business, you get to create, you have the ability to create the resources that you find necessary to live the life that you and your family ultimately desires. Right, and that's the other part that I love is it's a vehicle to truly that is truly capable of transforming one's narrative, because first it's you or she, or every day, and then the more true you find, the more clear you become on who you are the life you want to create.
Speaker 1:Your business is like that and if it's as long as it's a service, that's value will begin to provide a financial return. That again has the ability to transform the narrative of you and your family's life. And that's why I find business to be so important is that it's all about the transformation of self and changing the narrative. Right. If you grew up or your business Right. If you grew up feeling like you're not smart enough, your business, the process of running your business, can change that. Right. If there's some impossible syndrome of any kind of shame, your business will bring you into a contact with that part and provide an opportunity to transform that. And I think if you're willing to continue to do the work and continue to pare down not get bigger, pare it down, get simpler, get more stable, get more solid, the conviction that you're referring to that's when people really find the traction and the success that I think their soul desires, not the kind their mind thinks they're supposed to have, right. So anyway, that's tangent.
Speaker 2:Number seven that's excellent, and I'll also say this like what a big, let's say a principle that I guided and built my businesses on and just decision making processes on is the law of cause and effect, quite simply, and money is always an effect.
Speaker 2:Money is never the cause, money is always the effect.
Speaker 2:So the cause is exactly what you just spoke about for the last five or six minutes there, and it's doing all of those little things and the deep work to be able to get into a point where you can reach whatever financial goal, you can change the narrative of your family, you can overcome imposter syndrome or different limited beliefs that have been nagging at you for years and years and years, heal childhood trauma or different things that are for you like.
Speaker 2:It's such a whole list business if you see it in this way. It's such a holistic, net positive and benefit on your life that could be the flip as well. I've had versions of that. But if you see it in this way, it can be such a net positive and not only your life but your family's life, your clients lives, and it's just such this beautiful ripple effect that that takes place in in the entrepreneur's life that I think is just amazing it's you're so right that it's being able to get yourself to a point where you can evolve yourself to, to realize whatever vision it is that you have with your company.
Speaker 2:And even for me, like I'm at a point now where and this isn't me trying to do on horn, but my home with it be unapologetic, no seriously, because that's not to not to interject too much.
Speaker 1:But that's what I want from these conversations, because it's even you and I could come here and we can play that scripted kind of tone, a little bit like we. We kind of know someone's going to be listening. So we curate our responses in some ways. What I'm most excited about and having these conversations are these moments of just unapologetic. Like this is what it is for you and whatever, whatever the topic is, you know, maybe because I think too often people they don't get that part Right. That's the part they're trying they feel lost and they're uncertain because no one is is shine the light or create or articulated that part that they're so desperately trying to identify. Instead, it's, you know, we can talk on all these things and it's important, but it's these unapologetic, unapologetic moments that I care most about. So, to your horn, loudly, whatever you're about to say fucking go there, but, yeah, so for me.
Speaker 2:so my coaching is sold out like. You can maybe listen to this podcast and you might be thinking, oh well, seems like great coach. I want to see what his services are. You can't, and I would validate that.
Speaker 1:By the way, if they're, if they think that I will tell them it's true.
Speaker 2:I appreciate that, but I have no spots for you.
Speaker 2:Apologies, but that's a good problem to have and I'll, but I'll say this, and this is, this is my point yet no spots yet, assuming one day there might be one is, this is, is no matter, like what I've done in my life and I'll connect this back to coaching but if it's volunteer firefighting, if it's sports, if it's whatever it was. And now even to coaching, every client has told me the same thing is they've never hired me because of my strategy or because of, like, a certain thing in my marketing or whatever it may be. It was always what was and that's and that's not just true in coaching, that's true in, like I said, sports, firefighting, relations, like anything in life. I've always heard the same thing growing up, so but the reason why I bring this up is because, to your point, matt, like thinking about the cause and effect of your business, we're not now in business, being pretty much pulled out for the next year.
Speaker 2:That's come from like 10 years of just doing some deep, intimate work on myself, going through shit, seeing highs and lows, making a ton of money, losing it all, burning my whole team down, having to fire people, hire people, everything, crying like every few minutes, like a fucking mess, just an absolute hurricane, to get to the point where I'm at now. And and the common thread and this is my take on point, the common thread is not a strategy that was born from it, or whatever it may be. It's the development of yourself and at the end of the day, like I said, a new president can get voted.
Speaker 2:Covid, can happen again like the economy can take a complete downturn, but if you have skills, and if you're clear and confident and certain in yourself, you have a certain set of core values that guide your life to get you to wherever you want to go.
Speaker 2:No one can take that away from you Absolutely no one. So investing in those things don't get me wrong strategy and everything else is great, but investing in those things and arguably time not necessarily just money, but like investing time created white space to think about these things for the development of yourself. In my opinion, that's the common thread of everything in your life. Like you're asking me parenting questions and then relationship with Morgan and my business, like all of these things are connected to like who is will and like this is the same thing with you, matt, same thing with whoever is listening to this podcast. So keeping that true and that's why I think the name of your podcast is absolutely beautiful more than business, keeping that true to how you make decisions, I think it is one of the most important things that you can do in the development of yourself and the development of your business as well.
Speaker 1:I love that and you know, something keeps coming to mind right now is, well, it's a couple things, so one, this idea that you know so many people are especially. We go online, right, and it's by it's natural what I'm about to say. It's absolutely natural, but you know, we first put ourselves out there. The Even if it's not intentional. The emphasis is on how do we appear to others, right, we're so hyper focused on how I look To whomever, and you know that's what I find is.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's what kills more. It kills more things than anything else on the planet is, quite literally, our fear of someone else's opinion is certainly has been my biggest struggle, and when I think about this idea of like you know you brought up tech earlier and then immediately we think of a I and all the conversations that are kind of bouncing around around, the fears of what it does and all this stuff, and you know, if there's anything that I believe I aside, but just you know us being so interconnected, I think the thing that becomes the most valuable human thing above all tech that I believe will ever exist, is that well, to one, it's soul period, and we know there's in someone that's like. What do you mean by soul? Watch? You know this idea of like, artificial, like.
Speaker 1:There's commercials out right now. That's clearly artificial intelligence, right, you know their, their character. Like Charles Barkley commercial I know there's one with him next to his younger self, right, and the younger self is clearly a I and the thing that will AI I don't believe will ever or any type of tech will ever be able to duplicate or replicate is the soul, right, the human recognizes humans, no matter how impressive the aesthetic, and I think the thing that is most human is this ability to trust and I think that's probably what so many people are yearning for now is can I trust what I'm saying, can I trust when I'm hearing and that?
Speaker 1:brings me to this idea of like our desire to be impressive, and some people they feel like to be impressive. They must appear perfect, whatever that means, right they must. They must not show blemish, right? So even though they know they're not perfect, they can't present that side of themselves, they have to present the side that hasn't been scratched is what they're attempting to do.
Speaker 1:And when I think about this, you use the year, your experience of being a volunteer firefighter. You know that's obviously a very the job requires a lot of trust, right in the men and women that around you and in yourself. Going into those circumstances, and I'd be curious, as someone that's lived this firsthand, when it comes to just trust, let's say you were, you're being, you know, called out to go fight you know, some crazy ass fire, whatever it looked like. And to two people walk through the door, right, that were one of which you have to follow, right, you only get these. One comes through the door and their uniform is brand new, squeaky, clean, right like they are. And then the next person comes to the door and they are, they've been through it, you can tell they've been through a fire too, right, and they both are talking to you about what the plan is going to be inherently. Which one do you trust more?
Speaker 2:Well, it would always be the experienced one, always.
Speaker 1:And I know that feels kind of like an obvious one in this scenario, but like, what is it about the person that comes through with the tattered, you know uniform gear, all messed up and smoke all over his face or the ash, whatever it is like? What is it about that person? They clearly got in their ass. What? Why would you follow that person over? The one that appears to never Like been scratched?
Speaker 2:Yeah, experience, and they know the next step because they've been through it right. They know, they know like three steps at you, which is exactly what you want.
Speaker 1:I love it because, you know, I use this analogy in various ways or different people, depending on their history, and it's always been true the person we it's this weird thing that we think we must look perfect, but, yeah, we don't even trust perfection. Right, like that person that's on Instagram with all the perfect, you know, curated, all these things. We don't trust it, even if we're, like, intrigued by it or, you know, for whatever reason we're attracted to it, we don't trust it. And yeah, yeah, go ahead please.
Speaker 2:No, I agree. Trust. Trust is the. I talk about this with my clients all the time. It's trust is the currents that like my job, like that is it, especially when it comes to building your online coaching business or whatever your goal is. It's. It's it's exchanging trust right.
Speaker 2:It's not getting clients making money, it's how can I get my ideal type of client to trust me so that they see me as the type of coach that they would potentially want to work with to achieve whatever your goal is that they have?
Speaker 2:Like whatever your offer is, like that's the game, that's, that's that's it. And you're right, like us as humans, that's that's what we are looking for for going to make a, if it's a buying decision or a life and death, that decision in firefighting. Like you brought up the, what guides our decision is trust 1000%. So if that's true which it is what are the requirements of trust and what, especially when it comes to like marketing, for example, like that's? That's what you want to ask yourself is what are those elements for your ideal type of client? And then how can you make sure that you connect that with your truth, with your story, with whatever your offer is, and you're able to show that in a way that's authentic and that's you, versus trying to, which is exactly what you're saying that trying to be something you're not, or thinking about what other people are thinking about you, and trying to portray a certain image or or voice or character based off of that. That is untruthful to you, which then, it turns, declines trust with your market.
Speaker 2:It's better than your audience 1000% man so it's not trust you actually do the like when you're trying to put on an image, or like try to pretend you're actually doing the opposite of what you're intending to do.
Speaker 2:Right, like you're trying to fit in, you're trying to attract a certain type of person, but you're doing the complete opposite.
Speaker 2:So to your point, man, like sharing some of the struggles, sharing some of the things you've been through, sharing some of that, the shit storms that you've been through, like that's what's going to connect with your audience, that's what's going to attract your ideal types of clients, and and being able to holistically I use that word a lot like stop the mind for me right now connect that to your story, to different areas in your life, and just really make sure that's true for you. Like man, that's that's the game, that's what we're all trying to achieve, and it's it's just different levels of that. And like I'm very, very much in that journey myself, like I've gone through different levels of mastery, let's say, of that as well. And in 2024 I have very specific goals in terms of what I want to communicate online and it's the definition of my podcast, which is create for truth, and like that's that's it, man, like that is my, that's my thing, and just making sure you go through what that definition is for you.
Speaker 2:I think that's for you. I think it's like it's honestly the best thing that you can do in your current situation 1000% yeah, I couldn't agree more.
Speaker 1:And it'll never steal your own. Yeah, yeah, and it's tried and true, and any in any wise person you listen to, they're going to tell you the variation of that, that exact lesson. So I think it's, and you brought up holistically. I think it's funny because what I keep hearing you're talking about nature, you're talking about you know core values to turn by these things and like what I hear, you describing is really, you know, kind of what's left after seasons, seasons of pruning.
Speaker 1:Yes, like you really, I mean, as long as I've known you, that's, that's been the journey and you know, I don't know if you're familiar with essentialism, familiar with this philosophy, yeah, it's looks same and it's. It rings true to me, this idea of less but better right, and that's really what I think we're all seeking is it's not more, more impressive.
Speaker 1:And, by the way, if you look at nature, human beings are quite literally the only living, anything, species, creature whatever that consumes more than it needs yes, yes, that's so true look at any organism that exists on the point, and I don't care how big, how small, whatever.
Speaker 1:It only consumes as much as it ultimately needs in order to move forward. Sharks are hoarding dead bodies so it can eat later. They only eat when they need to right like in. The same is true for anything, but human beings are the only thing that consumes more than it needs. And I think what people are missing is that really we're not. We're not lacking stuff, we're not lacking ability. We're not lacking anything.
Speaker 1:I think what most people are lacking, without even realizing it, is they're lacking a deep sense of meaning, right, and I think the only way that we really feel a sense of meaning is when we great, just right take responsibility for something bigger than ourselves, and it doesn't mean that we're responsible for every part of it, but we're going to take responsibility and show up and be available and be able to take responsibility as a father doesn't mean you're going to do everything for you know, for your daughter for as long as she lives and she's your responsibility. You have to like micromanage every day, no, but you take responsibility for the impact you have, for the life that you create, for the you know, for showing up and being dependable, for trust right when you take responsibility to be someone that others can trust and whatever that takes to get right. I've got my journey to become that. You've had yours and who are listening?
Speaker 2:it's certainly having theirs, but you know that idea of like taking responsibility for something bigger than self is what most people are missing yeah, and I'd also say, to riff on that, this is something I know to be true for myself is taking responsibility for something bigger than self defining what's true for you, acting in alignment with your core values. You need to keep that top of mind. It's very easy and this is from one of my answers earlier on this podcast. I was talking about everything I went through in 2021.
Speaker 2:At that point in my life, I had core values, I had good integrity in a way, but I was very easy for me to get stuck in the day-to-day, the inertia of the day-to-day, the trends in the market, what my competitors were doing, and it was easy for me to get swayed just because there was a lot happening and there was a lot of fast decisions that needed to be made.
Speaker 2:There was a lot of different elements happening. That was just very, very rapid and it was hard for me at that time anyway to get quiet and to make sound decisions. So ever since then, and kind of evolving to where I'm at now, something that's been important for me is having a practice, or a routine, if you will, where you come back to that vision, something bigger than yourself, those core values, and you remind yourself of those things, because it's easy to say you have core values or you have this mission, but it's also easy to forget about it because life happens. And then guess what? Six months goes by, a year goes by, five years goes by and you're like what was that again?
Speaker 2:And that another time has gone by where you haven't acted in alignment with it, and now you're just like what you said the paper bag, the leaves blowing in the wind, and that's like you don't want that. So for me anyway, yeah, I 1000% agree with what you said. And just to update on that, write that shit down, put it into a doc, whatever it may be, and, as you're sipping your coffee every morning, like, look at it Like every day, man, like it's it will be the more start.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's interesting, you said, like one of the exercises, and hero on a mission is, he will guide you through writing your eulogy, oh, wow. And then you know planning life accordingly, from you know, because he talks about he's. You know, as you know, he's a writer, he's been a screenwriter and novelist, these kind of things, and he teaches you how to live your life using the same principles as what of writing a good story or a movie or whatever it is it's going to, you know, inspire and keep someone engaged. And when he talks about, in that process, as you start with the end, how do you want it to end? And then you build the story to get to that point.
Speaker 1:You don't just start writing the story and not know where it's going. And you know this idea, that and that's what somebody was doing, right. We're not clear on where we ultimately want to to arrive, who we want to become, more importantly, and then making our decisions based on that, that commitment. Instead, we're keeping up with the trends or trying to be impressive or whatever, right, and we're focused on being the prettiest leaf instead of the strongest roots.
Speaker 2:And so yeah, to go with your point.
Speaker 1:That's literally in my desk right now is my eulogy that I read to myself every single morning and it is deeply powerful and I think it's something that if we all accept as a reality to this, we only get one of these things who do we all do want to become in this beautiful adventure that we all have?
Speaker 1:Because that's a lesson that I heard, or I learned this year too, and I'm not bringing this up to go here, but I lost my mother in the beginning of this year, this past February, and you know we hadn't any conversations.
Speaker 1:You know, there, especially in special days, the things that she kept saying was just how she, looking back her life, she wishes that she lived her life more true to herself than the one that she thought she was supposed to live for everyone else. And you know, when you're talking to someone that knows their days are coming to a close, that clarity that it's so interesting to also witness the words someone chooses when they know that they could be their last. They're not hour-on-hour long riffs, it's so simple and clear and you have to witness someone look at their life and realize how much of their life was controlled by something that doesn't even matter. And that was the thing I was like, wow, okay, my roots, my roots really really needs to be set up. Early Leaves are necessary, sure, right, but yeah, and so I know that was kind of a thing, but what you're saying is still something else.
Speaker 2:Dude on that point. I'm reading this book now. It's called Regenerative Business how to align your business with nature for more abundance, fulfillment and impact. So it's it's really good. Check it out. I'll send you the link after this, but there's one. There's one point in here where she talks about just a normal forest, like an ecosystem in a forest right and every so often lightning will strike and it'll be a natural fire and that fire will burn down some of the decaying trees and whatever it may be, and it will help with new growth to come after that which is healthy for that ecosystem, for that forest right.
Speaker 2:And she talks about how in your business and I completely agree you need to go through that process every now and then as well like piggybacking off your point of pruning, like having these controlled natural fires to burn down what is not true for you anymore and to allow new growth for what is true for you just to what your mother said in some of her last days and being able to make those hard decisions and see this and feel this early on in life, I think is A takes a hell of a lot of courage, it's hard, and B to just do is oh man, oh man and, honestly, man. That's very much a journey. I'm in myself too and learning and kind of evaluating it in different ways myself, and it's powerful man just to kind of piggyback on what you're saying there.
Speaker 1:It's very, very powerful. Yeah, the my mind goes a couple of different places here, but the I think it all just comes down to true, oh, the part of the current trend I think most people are living their life, waiting on circumstance to make them change Right.
Speaker 1:Be it the birth of a child, be it the death of a loved one, be it the market, the president, whatever, they're waiting on a circumstance to do it right. If you look like, for example, if you look, I know health is a big thing for you. You know a lot of people. If you look at the way that they choose to eat, right, they know I'm one of them. You know for a fact it's going to, if you don't make a change, you are setting yourself up for a very difficult future, right, and that's putting it lightly.
Speaker 1:But and everyone talks about, like, why it's so hard to make the change Obviously, there's all different reasons, many of them justified, but it's interesting when you watch someone go from I absolutely won't to. Then they get a diagnosis and immediately they change right, why? Because all of a sudden, the change became about survival, right, and people wait on. They have all the knowledge, but they wait on the circumstance, they wait on the threat to get real before they start making the change, only to then look and hindsight and think themselves like fuck man, like why didn't this? So is like being ignorant by choice was not worth it, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that's a really powerful point. They different versions of that. I know Dr Joe Dispenza, bruce Lipton, I know you're familiar with those guys like they say similar things, like it's so, so easy to just wake up and then you just fall into your habitual patterns, right, like your biology and the chemicals in your brain, like you just have, okay, look at my phone, look at Instagram email, get into your day, right, and it's just like have it. And, like I said, variable is time. Year goes by, five years goes by, and you just live this existence. 10, 20 years go by, maybe, and you just kind of live this existence of just kind of, you know, leave to the music exam. And you're right, man, like it's, if you have courage and just a foresight to be able to see some of these things and make those hard changes before you get that circumstance or diagnosis, like you're saying, I think is man, that can be one of the most important decisions of your life.
Speaker 1:Hands down, yeah, hands down. Well, brother, I got one more thing I wanna ask. I'm looking at the time and realizing we could do this for a couple more hours, yeah, but. But I'm gonna piggyback on it in some shed. Right, because you are a popular man? Right, because the work you do is so effective, right, that you now are working with a full roster this year. I'd be curious and I'm selfishly asking for myself as well, but if you were to, yeah, be it a tool of some kind for those that are in that early stage of their business, or they're struggling to find traction, or you know the whole that zero to 100K phase, I don't care if it's taking them 10 years or 10 months, right, if they're in that and they are committed, they know that they're gonna do it, but they're just trying to figure it out for themselves.
Speaker 1:A man with your experience, what would you say is in your opinion, the most important tool, something tangible that they could actually put into practice if they so choose to courageously do so.
Speaker 2:Oh man, if you're striving to go to zero to 100K in a year in your business, it's not necessarily a tool, but it's more so a way of thinking, and this kind of goes to most of my answers on this podcast. In my experience, I think one of the biggest detriments to getting to, let's say, 100k is shiny object syndrome and dabbling in a million different things and mastering none of it. And don't get me wrong, there's merit in learning some of that and if that's part of your journey, that's great. It's part of my journey. But in my experience, the ones who are able to get to 100K rather quickly, let's say in their business, are the ones who have the ability and the skill to put the blinders on and to focus on what their offer is, focus on who their ideal type client is and provide the absolute best service that they can, and seek mastery in that Like, instead of thinking, oh, I could do a little bit of a low ticket, a little bit of a high ticket, a little bit of mid ticket, do this, jakey, they didn't do this, do that and all these different things, where they're just dabbling and mastering really none of it, they just focus on mastery.
Speaker 2:Great book by Robert Green, by the way mastering what their zone of genius is and going all in on that. That is how you're going to win. But my only caveat to that is, depending on your stage and your journey, you almost have to go through trying different things to kind of find what that is for you. But my advice is, when you do find that thing, when you do find that offer that hits, that's an alignment with who you are and it also could be financially stable for you too. It will be a feeling like your feeling. It'll be like this, almost like you speak to it, matt like almost like soul connection, right.
Speaker 2:And once you feel that feeling and if you guys are listening to this and you don't know what I'm talking about, you will know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, you will know what I'm talking about when you get there and once you find that, my advice is go all in, Like if you're dabbling in these different things, arguably cut them and go all in on that thing, because that's like not to go too metaphysical here, but arguably that's probably what you were put on or to do and you should listen to that feeling and go all in on that.
Speaker 2:And it's the same with me being sold out right now, Like the reason why that is and it's funny you bring this up, Matt just before this call, just a few hours ago, I was journaling on five different goals I had for 2024. And they're all like really good goals that I'm very connected to and my process was to cut four of them and that was hard for me because I wanted. They were all great opportunities and there were all things I wanted to do. Like deeply, I still do like it pains me to cut them, but I had to do that because I knew I would be spread too thin. And going back to my core values and what I'm looking to achieve in my life. It just wasn't an alignment.
Speaker 2:But anyway, my point is is that I'm focusing on my zone of genius and what like, why people hire me Like I'm going all in on that, all in on that. And it's also this delicate dance between knowing that thing and connecting to your soul and what you think you're put on or to do, but also listening to the market and getting that feedback right On what they like, what is their experience with you, what are the highlights in their words, in working with you, and then starting to connect these two things is some of the best advice I could give you if you're at the zero to 100K a month mark. So not necessarily a tool per se, but more so a way of thinking and something you can strive towards.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I promised that'd be the last question, so I guess I lied.
Speaker 2:What's your zone of?
Speaker 1:genius.
Speaker 2:Oh man. So for me, for coaching, it's kind of evolved over the last few years, but for me it's helping someone scale their business in alignment with their core values 1000%. It's exactly what I'm doing myself.
Speaker 1:That's a mission. Yeah, man, hell yeah. And something hit me too, that I'm very grateful for and I'll wrap it on this, you know, as I sit here, because that's the experience I'm currently in right this fresh, like holy shit, like it stopped shooting tracks and it clicked, like guys know, like did it click.
Speaker 1:I think it kind of hit me. But what really clicked for me with the whole 100K mark thing is it comes back to trust. Right, you got to trust yourself and we're going to get there. But the 100K personally is the reason why that's so important for me is that's about the stage where I found, thank you, that the people you love most can begin to trust your business.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like you can provide, there's gonna be, you know, bills paid into. Every month is gonna food on the table. There's gonna be abilities to do things and it's not the other day do that. But there's something that happens as you get to that point that those around you that may have been with you in the trenches from day one, or even had some doubts or whatever, you start to see that they, everyone, start to shift when it goes from that.
Speaker 1:Oh, is that really a thing? Can you really do that Like you've always? You know you've never been able to do it anywhere else, like what makes you think you can do it now, type of thing? You have those people, or you have the ones that are like I'm gonna be, my nose is bleeding with you because we're, I'm gonna ride with you until we figure this thing out together. We have friends, spouse, family, whomever. But there's that, that shift, and that's why the hundred K for me became such an important milestone I wanted to promote is, again, as they do with the money, but everything to do with the transformation that happens Right, as you know too, when somebody hits that mark for the first time, things change, belief happens, yeah.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, yeah, and you need that long-term for sure. There's actually I'd actually I Think there's only a short amount of time, and when I say short amount of time, probably a couple years when you can go, if you have significant others in your life where you can go without, without that belief. Right, because life, life is life. You need to write before. Yeah, you need to get to a certain point eventually. So, and again, it totally depends on your situation. I have no idea what's going on in your families, but, yeah, you don't. And, depending on how old you are and where things are at, how your family like to set up, you don't have the longest runway in the world. So, so, yeah, I do see Matt like getting to that point. It is important, not just for yourself and for your business and for your mission, but also for the people who are also most affected by it by your decisions, which is family.
Speaker 1:So, which is why it's so important to get clear, because your runway is not long, I don't care what your circumstances. So well, brother, I fucking love you, I appreciate you and, yeah, I again your. You weren't wrong when you said earlier that you're awareness of why people work with you is because of who you are, because that's immediately what I felt. I remember the. I remember exactly where I was walking when we were introduced and spoke on the film for the very first time, when I was so fucking nervous because I knew there was an opportunity to work together at that time and it was something that I you know it's very, very grateful for and kind of scared of. And you know, immediately it was.
Speaker 1:It was nothing you said, but it was how I felt the whole time and I am deeply appreciative for your courage because, again, without you, you know, without you stepping out when you did and creating your business, I wouldn't have ever had that opportunity. And it was that opportunity and working together and supporting others that has Literally laid the bricks for me to be able to do what I'm doing now. So you know, this is really a full circle moment, one of many for me and Again, thank you. Thank you, brother. I really appreciate that. Yeah, so well, I will Let you get back to your ladies.
Speaker 2:Dude, I'm comfortable. This podcast man, I think I think you're just last thing for me. I think you're stepping into exactly what you should be stepping into in 2024 and I'm comfortable.
Speaker 1:You, man, this is awesome. Yeah, thank you very much.
Speaker 1:Well, I want to riff more and More than just the podcast, but I'm gonna go ahead and stake my my poll and something right now, and that's to get up there and visit you this year. Yes, that's something else and I've talked about specifically. That's yeah, for for me this year is to To make a very considerable effort to get up and connect in person with the people and, specifically for me, the men that inspire me and you know are. They represent when I'm headed, not just where I've been, and there's a couple in the list and you're right at the top. So Getting up there, visiting and seeing the fam and maybe hiking, one of those trials is oh, dude, if you make that happen, dude I will show you a good time up here like.
Speaker 2:Yeah, hi-haves like out of like whatever, depending on what season to come in. There's so much we do.
Speaker 1:Winter. I'm in Southern California. I've been here too long. Yeah, we would not be winter. Good deal. Well, I love you, I appreciate you. Yeah, until next time.
Speaker 2:You.