The Pathless Path with Paul Millerd

At each professional crossroad, Nina Simon has made the choice most likely to disappoint her mother. She left an electrical engineering job at NASA to design spy museum exhibits, said goodbye to a museum directorship to start a global movement for more inclusive cultural organizations, and now has put down her CEO hat to write crime fiction. Her first novel, Mother-Daughter Murder Night, will be p...

This episode was a delight. I've been following David's journey since 2017 and he was one of the fellow internet weirdos I saw on a similar path that didn't quite make sense. I've been inspired by how many people David has helped onboard as "citizens of the internet" through his course Write of Passage.  I'm rooting for David and I think you'll want to as well by the end of this episode. We filmed...

Angie and I talked about our journey (mostly hers) over the last two years including her leaving fitness, moving to the US, enrolling in Write of Passage, finding her community, and initial traction as a freelancer. 🍿 WATCH ON YOUTUBE Links: Angie's Site: Angie Creates   Her Experience in Write of Passage: From Fear To Thriving Angie's Podcast: Angie Creates (English & Chinese) Timestamps 0:0...

David talks about his self-employment journey, discussing topics such as graphics design, studying abroad, work identity and engagement, self-publishing books, and advertising on Amazon. He reflects on his experiences and explains how he shifted from a traditional job to self-employment, including how he experienced a new reality after leaving his job. We talk about how hard it is to ever "make it...

Adam Braff grew up in a house where writing was always encouraged. His mother published a newsletter, and his father was a data analytics consultant. He started out as a lawyer, but after the dot-com boom led to a surge in demand for consultants, he decided to make the switch. He now runs his own consulting firm and writes regularly on a variety of topics.  Braff himself became interested in consu...

This episode was a delight. Venkatesh Rao is the creator of Ribbonfarm and has been writing about the internet, technology, and gig life. This conversation focuses on his recently published book, The Art of Gig.   If you are thinking about working independently, becoming a freelancer, or are interested in consulting, you should definitely buy his book: The Art of Gig, Foundations The Art of Gig, S...

I believe that Kyla Scanlon is one of the most talented all-around creators. She is transcending the assumptions about what people want, especially with things like short-form videos. Her TikToks are synthesized, thoughtful, and funny, setting a new bar for what people want in an information age. We talked about her journey growing up in Kentucky, writing online, hacking into the finance industry...

The legible story is that Catherine is a writer, producer, and digital media consultant. She helps creative people connect with new audiences, usually writers, usually online. But she hasn't had a W-2 job since 2017. Before that she worked as an actor, worked at a company called Longreads, and then has done a bunch of solopreneur experiments over the past five years. Her recent interest is writing...

Enroll In The 5th Cohort of Nervous System Mastery: You can get $250 OFF using the code PATHLESS => nsmastery.com Jonny Miller is a dear friend and I've had the privilege to get to know him closely over the past four years on our own journeys. We've lived in Japan, Indonesia, and Mexico together. When we met we were both single but now are both married in cross-country relationships and have na...

Andy Schoonover is the CEO of one of the sponsors of this podcast. After talking with him I actually thought he'd be a great guest on the podcast. He has a fascinating story from going from search-funder post-MBA grad to forming his own healthcare company. Can his company fix healthcare? Can anyone? Time will tell but I'm rooting for him. Join CrowdHealth: You ditched the traditional path… why hav...

🍿 Watch on YouTube Ali Green has been a remote worker since 2014. It took her a couple of attempts to fully unpair from the office and even when she had a fully remote job it took her another year to lean into her freedom. Now she's writing a book about what she's learned leading teams, living in different countries, and working remotely. Quitting her job and inventing a "story" Experiences worki...

Dr. Corey Wilks is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Executive Coach with over 15 years of psychological experience. In 2020, he stopped practicing therapy and ventured into entrepreneurship. Now, he coaches entrepreneurs and creates content to help people be more intentional with how they live, work, and create. His latest project is Intentional Life Design, a 5-week live cohort-based course f...

In this episode, I talk with fellow creator and curious human Anne-Laure Le Cunff. She left her job at Google and embarked on an entrepreneurial journey about one month before I did in April 2017.  We compare the lessons we have learned over the past five years as well as talk about: How her mother's experience as an immigrant influenced her work scripts Her creative interests vs. practical career...

Mike Steiner found himself on Penn’s campus at a young age not really knowing what he was supposed to do next. Thanks to helpful roommates, he started to figure out how to take advantage of the opportunities around him. He started getting more interested in math, statistics, and finance. He eventually ended up interviewing in New York and ending up at the famous training firm Susquehanna Investmen...

Today I’m talking with Justin Moore - he and his wife was what he calls “OG Youtubers.” From creating content to landing sponsorships to building his own agency, he’s seen every angle of the creator economy. a lot over the last ten years. In the past couple of years, he walked away from the agency and has stumbled into a new path, one he’s finding a lot of joy following - helping other creators ge...

Gary Ware is someone that inspires me. I've seen him give two walks, both at the World Domination Summit in 2018 and then in 2022.  In each, he stood out for his ability to show up as himself and share playful and powerfully true stories about his journey.  I love when I get to meet people like Gary and this interview was no different.  You can feel his positive energy flowing through the screen (...

Claire Emerson is a writer and project consultant who helps business owners execute their best ideas. She is the curator of Flourish newsletter and the creator of Implement My Course — a free 10-day email course on how to apply what you learn without procrastination poisoning your progress.  Links Mentioned: Anna Macko - Crypto Queen (@lovingnotworking) • Instagram photos and videos We Don't Just...

I spoke with Tasshin Fogelman about his life's work to bring more love into the world, how he navigates life as a modern online monk, what he learned from spending time at the monastic academy, and what he see's as work worth doing. You can learn more about his work here: https://tasshin.com/ 📕Buy Paul’s Book (Published Jan 2020) : The Pathless Path 📲Connect + Follow Paul Twitter: @p_millerd Pau...

Tara McMullin is a writer, host of the What Works Podcast, and also cofounder of a podcast production studio.  She's been working with small business owners for more than 13 years and has a deep understanding of what makes them tick.  She’s recently written about realizing she was autistic and how that has impacted her role in the workplace. 🍿 Watch On Youtube 🔗 Links: Tara's Site: Explore What...

Aida Alston is no stranger to alternatives to the default path. From testing out of high school at 15, to finishing college with no debt, then going to medical school for free in Cuba, Aida has been walking her version of a pathless path for a long time. But she's at a transition point now. She decided not to pursue clinical practice as a physician—again turning away from the default path right in...

John Paller is a Denver-based entrepreneur and the Founder of Opolis , a Digital Employment Cooperative for independent workers. He is also the founder of ETH Denver, the world’s largest Web3 and Ethereum festival. Prior to discovering Ethereum in 2015, John spent more than 15 years in talent acquisition, HR Technology, and employment systems, building multiple successful enterprises. John brings...

Malcolm ocean is a fellow wanderer of the pathless path and as is such - is hard to describe. He runs a software company, Complice which helps people turn big goals into day-to-day actions. More broadly from my vantage point, Malcolm appears to be one of the most deeply curious humans alive about how we make things happen at the individual and group levels. Follow Malcolm: Website Twitter @Malcolm...

Hannah is awesome and you should listen to this podcast.  She grew up homeschooled, is an endlessly curious person, has a deep sense of agency, and is a pro at carving her own path.  She's done a ton of things including writing, coaching, and working at startups and has created jobs for herself, negotiated working remotely (before it was cool), and has done a ton of other things.  She recently fou...

Lauren and I first talked when I was locked down in Taiwan in 2021.  It was amazing to connect with another nomad and writer after weeks of not seeing people.  I was also a bit stuck in my book writing process and she gave me a ton of helpful hints to take my book to the next level. I was excited to interview Lauren because she just finished her own book, Global Natives about her own experience as...

This episode is with Sky King, the founder of Modern Stoa, a podcast advertising company for podcasters.  His path is fascinating - he grew up in Hawaii, rarely wore shoes, was heavily influenced by Asian culture, had a father who was retired, and somehow ended up in a massive corporation right after college.  In 2016. he became fascinated by how the media was shaping the 2016 US election and deci...