Breaking Work

#513: Welcome back to another episode of The Break podcast, the space where we unpack the remarkable stories of individuals who've faced life's challenges head-on. I'm your host, Mike, and today's conversation is one that you don't want to miss. Our guest today is Danielle Cobo, a powerhouse in resilience, courage, and unwavering determination. Before we dive into the heart of her story, a little...

#512:  I got fired in the middle of a meeting. Well, I was told the next day, but it happened in that meeting. I knew it. What a terrible feeling. I was up all night, walking the streets of Seattle in the dark by myself. My mind racing between panic and planner modes. I need a job Can I even get a job? Why did this happen? Who do I reach out to? How much runway do I have? What do I tell my wife an...

#511:  FUD = Fear. Uncertainty. Doubt. The triad that keeps us from betting on ourselves. And keeps us on the incremental path to nowhere. I used to be a FUD. I grew up in a very fiscally conservative household. My parents are well off, but massive penny pinchers. This isn't bad, in fact it's noble. However, saying no to even the slightest risk of losing isn't great for personal growth. So natural...

#510:  I'm back and energized, to dive into something that's been on my mind – and probably on yours too: the messiness of Career Change . I know, just reading those words can send a flutter of anxiety through your chest, as it has for me many times - 6 to be exact. Yes I've made no less than 6 major career changes. And not the "I'm changing companies" kind. More like the "I'm changing industries,...

#509:  I thought a lot about how we can build our capacity to take action towards what WE want. That can seem scary because we fear what other people will think, and we think we are RISKING a lot. After all, if what we want is different than our peers, doesn't that make us an outsider? Weird? A loner? We've all heard the expression "no risk no reward." But if you're not learning to take risk, you'...

#508: We're delving into the profound topic of reinvention, exploring how to pursue our passions, even when it means taking a leap of faith. In today's interview, I had the privilege of sitting down with Roger Osorio, a remarkable individual who embodies the essence of reinvention. We unravel his personal journey from a corporate job to becoming a math tutor and eventually a teacher. Roger shares...

#507: Our guest, Arun Gupta, brings a unique perspective to the table, one that challenges conventional notions of purpose and profit in one's career. We're about to dive into a topic that could reshape how you think about your own professional journey. But before we get into that, I want to share a thought-provoking student testimonial from Arun's website, which perfectly sets the stage for our c...

#506: Ok, so 2024 is knocking at the door and I just learned a new word.  Actually 2 new words. First, my kids taught me the word "rizz" which means something about flirting or having game. Lo and behold rizz is Time Magazine's word of the year! I couldn't believe it! The second is "career pathing", as in the act of figuring out your path. I never really knew this term existed, but it makes sense....

#505: Henna Pryor, PCC is a highly sought-after Workplace Performance Expert and an award-winning 2x TEDx and global keynote speaker, virtual presenter, author, and professional executive coach. She's known for her science-backed approach to improving the performance, habits, and actions of hungry high achievers – in her fun, no-nonsense, no-jargon way – to move them from their first level of succ...

#504: The only way to crush the uncertainty we feel about the next steps in our careers is to get comfortable not knowing. Which is a huge shift Paul had to make. I believe this is the single greatest skill we can learn if we want to achieve our hopes and dreams to get what we want out of life. This is why The ​UnBREAKable Community​ exists.  So I want to share our 5 core principles that we live i...

#503: I am beyond excited for today's conversation. We've got a guest who's not only a fantastic individual but has an inspiring journey to share. I want you to meet Paul Dircks. Now, Paul and I go way back. We connected earlier this year when he reached out for some coaching during a pivotal moment in his life. Today, we're going to dive into his transformative journey and discuss how he navigate...

#502: Last week the world lost a legend. Charlie Munger passed away at the age of 99. Charlie was (and still is) deeply influential on me. If you've taken my course, ​ Advantage Mapping Foundations ​ , you've seen and heard from Charlie. I've learned more about life and reality from studying this man than I did in all of my schooling, easily. In honor of his passing, here are 10 key lessons from a...

#501: Our conversation today revolves around life-changing moments and the remarkable power of personal transformation. Get ready to be inspired as we introduce our guest, Justin Brey, who has a remarkable story to share. On December 19th, 2020, Justin faced a life-altering decision. He had driven out to the mountains with a suicide note, ready to end it all. But at that pivotal moment, a text mes...

#500: Today's conversation is all about belief and purpose, two essential elements on our life's journey. But first, let me share why this topic is so important. When I first reached out to today's guest, I realized how much his journey resonated with my own experiences. Many people, like me, sometimes struggle with finding our true purpose and building belief in ourselves. The journey can be a wi...

#499: I heard this from a former colleague yesterday. Let me know if this sounds familiar: "After the events of last fall, I've adopted an "always on" career search mindset. I'm doing a lot of shameless self-promotion to attract people to my brand, in case my current gig goes to crap like the last one did. Not going to get caught with my pants down again." This feeling is what I'm on a mission to...

#498: We're about to dive into the remarkable journey of a man who's no stranger to carving his own unique path in the world of technology, entrepreneurship, and creativity. But before we get started, I'd like to extend a warm 'thank you' to all our listeners for tuning in. Your support and enthusiasm mean the world to us, and it's what keeps 'The Break' going strong. Now, let's talk about our gue...

#497: Every single day I hear from people trapped in their current version of work-life. They WANT to make a change, but their overwhelmed by the complexity of the problem and don't know where to start "figuring it out." So here are the 5 layers of making a work-life transformation, that nobody explains. #1 is where 90% of people need to start.

#496: A portfolio approach to your career is all about thriving in the uncertain future. The truth is: We don't know. We don't know what's going to change in the outside world. We don't know how we are going to change in our inside world. A portfolio career is the antidote to uncertainty

#495: We've got an incredible guest in the house – a friend from the past who's has broken himself on purpose, and undergone an extraordinary journey of reinvention. But before we dive into this conversation, don't forget to hit that subscribe button and share our podcast with your friends and family. We've got a lot of inspiration coming your way. Let me set the stage for you. Sean Sweeney and I...

#494: In this episode, I am sharing the tactics I implored to not only gain some separation, but carve out autonomous time to design my way out of corporate altogether. If you want to change the trajectory of your career, you need to get some space first.  This is Pillar 1 in my ​ Advantage Mapping Foundations ​ course - Detach from work.

#493: How does a working mother of 4 go from climbing the ladder to EVP in the most competitive real estate market in the world, to saying, whoa I need a break, to then founding a corporate wellness company? By tapping into a burning problem that she finally realized she had unique advantage to create. Patrice Meagher, founded MilkMate a unique workplace service that solves the problem young mothe...

492: Imposter syndrome. We all know it. I know it too well. In a nutshell, it's the (irrational) feeling that sets our own limits. It tells us we don't belong. We're not worthy. Why start? There's someone else out there ahead of us. What's the use? And we retreat to our nice little comfortable box. We stop trying to do heroic things. In this episode, we chat about how I broke 25 years of Imposter...

#491: Dakota Robertson ( @WrongstoWrite on Twitter) bet it all on himself and went from Dominos delivery driver to the internet's pre-eminent ghostwriter in under a year. He has an incredible story of transformation and resilience to share.  If you remember Dakota's name, it's probably because a previous guest, Taylin Simmonds , credits Dakota with single-handedly changing his life. So now it's ti...

#490: Kelli Thompson is a women's leadership coach and speaker who helps women advance to the rooms where decisions are made. She has coached and trained hundreds of women to trust themselves, lead with more confidence, and create a career they love. She is the founder of the Clarity & Confidence Women's Leadership Program, and a Stevie Award winner for Women in Business—Coach of the Year. She is...

#489: When the richest man in the world tells you something, generally you should listen. Warren Buffett is famous for talking about finding your own "Circle of Competence". I listened. Heck, my entire Advantage Mapping philosophy is based off this concept. But, I realized after talking to many people struggling to find success, that CoC is incomplete, and that's where Warren and I have issues.