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I talked with Michael Ashcroft six months before he was planning to quit his job.  We talked about his plan to quit his job, what was going through his mind, his fears and what he expected might happen. We then chatted again three months later after he submitted his notice and checked in on how he felt Fear Setting Exercise Michael's Website ---------- The best way you can support me is to join in the conversation. Share thoughts on Twitter, send me an e-mail and tell me what resonated or what you’d add or refer a friend: If you’d like to support further you can use my affiliate link for some of the platforms I recommend. Podia - 14 day free trial Teachable - 14 day free trial Wealthfront - $5k managed for free ConvertKit - First 1k subscribers for free Or if you want to fund my crypto house, you can send me some crypto here.

I had a delightful conversation with Daniel Vassallo a self-employed creator for the last three years who seems to have gone through many of the same "a-has" as I have.  He walked away from Amazon despite making an absurd salary of $500,000 a year.  We talk about why he made that leap, why he would never go back and some of the unexpected lessons and insights he's learned from becoming self-employed.   You can learn more about Dan at his site => Dan Vassallo ---------- To follow along with Paul subscribe to his newsletter => Boundless  Paul is also working on a book to launch later this year titled The Pathless Path

Robert Litchfield & Rachael Woldoff have recently written a book titled "Digital Nomads: In search of Freedom, Community, and Meaningful Work in the new economy" A married couple and both professors, they bring an interesting combination of perspectives.  Rachel is a sociologist specializing in urban communities and Rob is a management professor specializing in creativity and motivation. They both moved to Bali for three months with their kids and immersed themselves in this world.  I share some of my perspectives and they share what they learned, how it impacted how they lived their life and how they see these trends impacting modern work and institutions. -------------- If you'd like to subscribe to the weekly newsletter on the modern world of work, please subscribe: Boundless Newsletter If you want to support the podcast you can do so by using my affiliate link for one of the products I use and endorse.

Michael Mcbride left his job almost a year ago to work on building out Idea Soup, an instagram and TikTok channel focused on helping re-inspire people’s passion for history and knowledge. We talk about his creations over the years, how he has felt since leaving his job over the last year, what he’s learned from engaging with young people on TikTok and how he sees the future of education emerging from things like TikTok and other online platforms. On his foundational belief: “If I had a thesis it's that education really does work and education really does matter” His motivation and secret to his success:  He said, “I find history so crazy and weird and fascinating that I think that;s contagious.  If I had a mission it’s not to make them more educated, it’s to make them go. “How did roman's wipe their ass, that’s crazy,” Listen to the episode to find the answer to this!

Uri Bram is the CEO of The Browser which runs regular newsletters to help people find good articles, podcasts, and videos to read.  He has been living as a digital nomad for over seven years and also runs The Browser as a remote company. We chat about Uri’s own journey, what it's like working with Robert Cottrell (who reads 10-12 hours a day), his early experiences becoming a kindle best-selling, how he thinks about running a remote company and some of his favorite reads worth checking out. Articles/Books mentioned In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays, Bertrand Russell Derek Parfit, Reasons and Persons Leadership & Solitude, William Deresiewicz Disadvantages of an Elite Education, William Deresiewicz Seeing Like a State, James Scott How Ghost Is Structured for the Long-Term The Great Works of Your Life, Cope Ada Palmer, Ex Urbe Susan Bryson, Aftermath Salary Negotiation: Make More Money, Be More Valued, Patrick McKenzie ------------------------- To find ways to support Boundless, Click here Subscribe to a weekly e-mail on life, work & the creative path

Packy says that his differentiation "is that I’m going to be having more fun than most people” I've been a big fan of the energy he's brought to his writing over the past couple of years. But he didn't set out to have a popular newsletter.  His real plan was to launch an in-person community.   We chat about how the pandemic helped him figure out why that wasn't a good idea and how he's thinking about his solopreneur journey, The reason I asked him on the podcast is to talk about his recent newsletter on the future of work.  He argues that “Employees will ultimately make the decision” about what work looks like post-pandemic.  I think he is mostly right and we talk about what that might mean for people's lives. ---- You can find ways to support Paul through affiliate links, newsletter sponsorship or direct gifts here If you want to subscribe to Paul's weekly newsletter on the modern state of work, the solopreneur journey and creating online, you can subscribe here.

I decided to record a short little update with my friend Travis.  What have I been up to, where have I been living throughout the pandemic and what is in store next for Reimagine Work. If you'd like to watch on YouTube, you can do that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xlqe6D-HfM

I interviewed my wife, Angie, who has gone through a major career change and has launched a number of creative experiments and projects over the past couple of years.  She reflected on what its been like going along this journey alongside me and grappling with success, identity, being a woman in Taiwan and creating in public. Video Version Of The Interview: Watch The Interview on Youtube If you like conversations like this, join my weekly e-mail which is an exploration of life, work, creativity and a contemplation on what matters: Boundless Newsletter ................................... Ways to support Boundless You can use one of the several products I endorse and I'll receive a small affiliate fee from the company. ConvertKit I tried Mailchimp and a few others before landing on ConvertKit for e-mail automation.  The UX is intuitive and easy to manage.  I really like it a lot though I'm probably not even maximizing its potential.  If you sign up using this link I'll get 30% of your monthly fee forever (which is kind of crazy!). Podia I also use Podia for my Reinvent Course. I like both Teachable and Podia but Podia is probably better if you are just getting started and don't want to get lost in customizing the pages. Their referral deal is super generous for me 30% of your monthly fees forever, so I'll be a huge supporter of your course ;-) Pro Tip: Click my link and then sign up for a free trial. If you wait a few days to commit, then they'll offer you a 15% lifetime discount in the first two weeks. Teachable: I also use Teachable for my Think Like A Strategy Consultant course. It works quite well as well, though Podia is a little more slick for more recent design and using a simple editor. If you click here I'll get a 30% cut of your monthly fee - same deal as Podia! Charles Schwab No International ATM Fee Checking This card is a must have if you plan on living or traveling abroad. Easy to withdraw money and not worry about fees anywhere in the world. This link will give me $100 if you deposit $1,000 within 45 days. Wealthfront I use Wealthfront for my SEP IRA which is like a 401k for self-employed creators. If you use this link you'll get $15,000 managed for free and I'll get an additional $5,000 Quickbooks Self-Employed I do all my own finances, accounting and axes using Quickbooks which makes things quite simple. If you use this link you'll get 50% off and I'll get $30.

Steph has a hard time identifying as anything.  Remote worker, writer, or coder don't really do it justice.  The thing that stands out when you talk to Steph is that she is a LEARNER.  Through competing in chess as a child she learned the valuable meta-skill of how to improve and never really saw any reason why she couldn't just take something up. This mindset is invaluable in today's world and this is demonstrated by the way Steph landed her job at The Hustle (hint: it didn't involve a formal application.  This conversation was a lot of fun and explores: Digital nomadism myth vs. reality How she chooses where to live What she learned traveling the world competing in chess as a child How she thinks about work and her identity One of her favorite topics - words that don't translate Learn More: StephSmith.io 

Oshan sums up his worldview as: "We’re all going to die, but in the meantime, the world is far more mysterious, wonderful, and stimulating than human consciousness plagued by economic precarity can experience.” We explore that possibilities might emerge if we can imagine a life beyond work. Be brave and join us on this episode? Oshan's Work: Musing Mind Subscribe to boundless: Subscribe

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

Will Bachman is the creator of a community-first talent platform for management consultants, Umbrex and hosts a podcast for independent consultants called Unleashed.  We talk about the recent course he created called the Guide To Setting Up Your Consulting Practice course ($100 off with the code: boundless), which is a product of his 12 years as an independent consultant and his work helping hundreds (perhaps thousands) become thriving solo consultants.  We talk about How he thought about independent consulting in 2008 versus now in 2020 How his talent platform, Umbrex, was born and how it has remained community focused What led him to create his course and some of the What makes him want to “keep playing the game” of self-employment How independent consultants can think about finding new clients How he designs experiments to keep his learning journey alive How he builds his virtual team to help him succeed as a consultant How he filters everything he does through a 5-decade time horizon If you want to connect with Will, connect with him on LinkedIn or Twitter, If you want to get the Guide To Setting Up Your Consulting Practice: E-mail guide@umbrex.com for a gift form Or enter "Boundless" for $100 Off Link Here Books Mentioned: Tribes by Seth Godin The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients by David Fields Support Boundless: You can find ways to support Paul and the podcast here

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

Laurel and I decided to jump on a video call to talk about the world emerging work-from-home experiment amid the evolving Covid-19 pandemic.  We wanted to talk about some of the deeper principles & opportunities that remote work offers and talk about how companies might think about it in the next month and over the next few years. We talk about: The short-term mindset companies should take in the next few weeks (hint: don't overdo the tools right now) What the broader opportunity is for remote work over the next 10 years The role of trust in remote work and what happens when it breaks down How to think about meetings and how to design your day and re-think productivity Examples of companies who have been innovating in this space for 10+ years Experience from Laurel's 10+ years as a remote team leader As the Founder of Distribute Consulting and the Remote Work Association, Laurel Farrer starts, strengthens, and leverages virtual workforces to solve corporate and socioeconomic concerns. A global thought leader on the topic of remote work, Laurel collaborates with the world's leading businesses and governments to eliminate virtual worker discrimination, prevent policy retraction, increase remote job accessibility, train distributed leaders, and design economic initiatives. Additionally, she also shares her expertise as a Forbes contributor, subject matter expert for business education curriculum, and virtual software product advisor. More: Episode Link & Show Notes 5 Tips For Remote Work (Boundless) CEO of Doist & CEO of Zapier on Remote Work Laurel on Twitter & LinkedIn

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

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

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

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

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

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