Millennial in the Middle

Today marks the three year anniversary of me publishing my first episode of Millennial in the Middle. It is crazy to see how much the world has changed in that time and I have experienced more personal growth than I could have imagined. This podcast has played a huge role in my life as it has forced me to listen, to think critically, and to have empathy. After a lot of debate, I have decided it is...

Born and raised on the west side of Chicago in the Austin Community, Dr. Brown has committed himself to making the greatest possible impact on today's youth.  As a videographer Evan was filming a documentary in South Africa and was humbled by the poverty he saw. He came home from that trip and went into action mode. Dr. Brown received his Ph. D in Educational Administration. He holds a M.S. i...

Today Connor interviews Amber Farooqui for a fun interview about her life hacks and the community she has built. Amber's enthusiasm is contagious. She is a great example of someone thriving in the passion economy and building a platform around uplifting others. Amber is the founder of Evolve Your Business, The Sisterhood Community, a Business Coach, Consultant, Best Selling Author, and Speaker. Am...

I recently sat down with my friend and business partner Landon Bytheway to recount our journey over the last year in starting a business together. For those of you wondering what STUDIIO is and how it all came to be, here is the full story. Opt and STUDIIO are joining forces in 2023 and have some really cool things in the works. Landon is a world-renowned videographer and content creator. Give him...

Today's episode a perfect follow-up to the previous solo episode (#100). I found Déjà's poetry on her very popular instagram account @ebbandflowpoetry. I knew I needed to dig into her perspective on life for myself and my listeners. She is a great example of someone who has taken her talents and used it to be a force for good in the world. To follow her journey follow her on social media @ebbandfl...

Hitting 100 episodes and starting a new year has me in a reflective mood. 2022 will be remembered for me as the year I looked within. Whenever people used to talk about self-love or personal development I thought it was all fluff. I have lived a lot of my life relying on external validation to feel like a success. My favorite read of the year was Michael Singer's "Living Untethered." He explains t...

Trent Ellingford is a speaker, entrepreneur, and commercial real estate investor and coach. In this interview, Trent dispels some of the myths around investing and talks about the new playbook. If you are young, hungry, and looking for some direction and motivation this episode is made for you. Follow Trent at @trentellingford or you can even book a call with him at TrentEllingford.com

Cooper Campbell is a Gen Z himself already working as a consultant helping members of Gen Z navigate life, relationships and their career. With a lot of experience specifically dealing with people suffering from depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. If you have ever dealt with someone in a similar situation this episode will you give you some great insight.  Follow Cooper at Cooper__id

Today Connor interviews Bobby Umar a Keynote Speaker and Coach who is a world renowned expert in branding, networking, and leadership. They discuss everything from how to tell story, how to find your passion, and how to put yourself out there. Bobby has shared his personal message on many stages throughout the world and has a loyal social media following of over 650k followers( 200k on Twitter). S...

Connor is talking politics again in today's episode. He shares the three takeaways from the results of the midterms. Then he talks about what the next two years might look like as we enter another presidential election.

Danielle Farage is a LinkedIn top voice for Gen Z and a work futurist speaker and writer. In this episode, Danielle tells her story of how she embraced the new perspective on work and how she is helping other people do the same. This USC grad records her side of the episode from an AirBnB in Paris, along her journey of remote work and networking. Follow along with her blog and podcast all of which...

Today Connor interviews Kiannalie Sarmiento. Kiannalie is a great example of a young Gen Z jumping into her career and chasing her passions. At 19, she went to a coding bootcamp and immediately fell in love with product development and technology. She is very passionate about community and has gone the extra mile to create spaces of inclusion and connection. She has served as the Utah Chapter Lead...

Today Connor invites Eric Espinosa on the show to discuss business, life and his experience living abroad. Eric  is an avid entrepreneur and had his first exit not too long after being out of college. He most recently founded Coconut VA and serves as CEO. Last year, he and his wife set a goal to live abroad and travel most of the year. He talks about how he was traveling the world, without an...

Hunter Saunders has become a good friend recently after joining Connor's team at Opt. As Connor has worked with him for the last couple months it has been clear that he is the personification of Gen Z. He is 23 years old, intelligent, and is taking advantage of what the world has to offer. His insight and depth of understanding about his generation is impressive and informative. In this episode, C...

Last week Queen Elizabeth passed away after an unprecedented 70+ year on the throne. Connor had the news broken to him in real time on a call with a business partner who is British. This raw moment of emotion showed him a unique perspective. In this episode Connor talks about the lessons we can learn from the Queen's legacy as it relates to respecting our previous generations while making improvem...

Connor has spent a lot of episodes talking about the past, today he is talking about the future. Tyler Doyle is a celebrity in the metaverse. He is the most prominent influencer in the game Upland. In fact, he just returned from a conference in Las Vegas where he was named "Broadcaster of the Year." He has made a career out of investing in the metaverse and teaching others on how to make REAL mone...

Connor interviews Josh Barney to discuss how technology has affected  the way we think, communicate and work together. As a Gen Xer, Josh didn't grow up with the type of innovations that he now deals with on a day-to-day basis. He has been on the front lines of watching these changes happen at warp speed. Josh has worked in tech roles across many different industries including the military, s...

What is Vulnerability is cool? It's a movement! As a child, Jenna a was a victim of sexual abuse. That experience created a dark cloud over her mental health, relationships and life for years. Like most victims of abuse, she didn't share her story for a long time and internalized all the pain.  In her 20s she started openly sharing her experience and her journey of embracing counseling and se...

Meet Jason Petersen, Connor’s primary business partner and Founder at Opt. Connor met Jason at the end of 2021 and it didn't take long for the two of them to find a rhythm of working together. Jason's ability to take a big idea and turn it into a reality has been crucial to Opt getting off the ground. Today's episode is about Jason’s experiences in life and business prior to Opt. Jason has started...

Have you ever wondered how a digital nomad can actually be effective on the road? Do you even know what a digital nomad is? You need to hear today's conversation with Spencer Wight and Akram Nassri.  They are the owners of an agency called Strategic Growth Partners and have seen incredible success approaching life with the "new school" mentality of working smarter not harder and living an adv...

For the last five months, Connor has jumped head first into what started as an idea, became a company and is about to be an app that can be used by the masses. Big ideas often start around a big problem: we all value our time, but it's hard to put a value ON our time! Connor and his team are trying to help with the creation of Opt.  Connor talks about how his personal experiences  paved...

Thanks to our guest Emily Engemann, today's episode is fun, spunky and full of sunshine. Emily Engemann is a world class Zumba instructor, podcast host and has become a light to millions of people through her social media presence. Her blog and podcast (which she hosts with her sister Kass Martin) is called "Little Bits of Awesome" and is all about training your brain to find the positive things t...

Today Connor discusses his rookie attempts at meditation. He talks about one of his favorite books “The Untethered Soul” and some things he learned in the process of applying simple truths. Notes: The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer Path by J.E. Chadwick

Today’s episode features a fun, intriguing, and vulnerable interview with Bret Engemann. Bret has done a lot in his life and has had many run-ins with celebrities, professional athletes, and of course influencers! So who is Bret Engemann? Here’s a quick teaser: his father was President of Capitol Records and signed the Beatles and the Beach Boys. He was a starting quarterback at Brigham Young Univ...

Rio De Janeiro has been on the bucket list for a while. I was not disappointed! In today's episode Connor talks about his experience in Brazil jumping into the culture and being welcomed by the locals with open arms. One of those Rio locals, Alcira Bernardo, was willing to join the show in a remote interview after he got back to the States. Alcira for 15+ years owned and operated two hostels in th...