The Struggles Podcast

Welcome back to another episode of The Struggles with Sean Li and James Park! Ever caught yourself standing in front of your wardrobe for way longer than you'd like to admit, trying to decide what to wear? You're not alone. In this episode, we’ll share some unique hacks to simplify your daily decisions so you can have more time and energy to focus on what truly matters! From what to eat or...

Welcome back to another episode of The Struggles with Sean Li and James Park! After a month-long hiatus, we're excited to share our latest conversation with you all. This time, we dive into the reality of daily struggles and how embracing them can help us overcome life, business, and career challenges. From our own experiences to company-wide offsites, we discuss the importance of mindset and...

Sean and James have been traveling for the last few weeks, and this episode is a quick recap of what's been happening.  They talked a little bit about work (Let's congratulate James for hitting his quota for the first time!), vitamins and supplements (Do they really work?), and the struggles of traveling with kids and how to overcome them. They also discussed ways to measure your life - ce...

Sean recently finished the book, A Course in Miracles Made Easy: Mastering the Journey from Fear to Love. And this is the center of today's episode. We deep dive into the idea of living in fear versus living in the state of love. How does someone live without fear? How do you live in a state of love despite judgment? Is love just the absence of fear? Let’s uncover these questions one by one. K...

Sean and James talk about communication and the importance of staying in touch with family, friends, and people who matter to you. But how do you determine who they are?  If you struggle with being intentional about who you want to stay in touch with, tune in and enjoy the episode.  Key Takeaways: Communication is key in any relationship. Even within family, there are misunderstandings. Just becau...

Sean and James talk about gratitude and how they shape their worldviews. Sean shares about his first personal annual update to his close friends and how he turns some struggles as a parent into a practice of gratitude.  They talk through their different points of view on patience and trust, and how trust is foundational to a lot of things that we do in life. Side note from Sean and James: We decid...

No matter how far along you get in life or how many successes and failures you go through, there's always a reason to be discontent. How do we combat that? In this episode, James and Sean catch up on what happened last week and review how they did on their weekly goals. They discuss contentment in their day-to-day activities and Sean gives the latest update about Clever. Key Takeaway Shift you...

In this episode, Sean and James discuss the plague of trying to do too much and the paradox of choice. They talk about why this can be difficult and some ways to work around it like prioritizing.  Taking all the essential stuff out, if you only had one hour of free time just for yourself, what would you do?  Key Takeaways: Priority should be a singular word. Trying to accomplish too much creates a...

This episode is about life satisfaction. It's the beginning of the year, and maybe you’re already behind on your new year’s resolution and feeling dissatisfied. Listen to Sean and James talk about their own dissatisfactions and how they work with these feelings. Key Takeaways: Comparison can cause dissatisfaction. Be intentional about what you're comparing in life.  Actively choose what yo...

In the very first episode of this year, 2023, Sean and James talk about new year resolutions. Although they both don't like it, they agree it is a helpful tool. They talk about routines and how we can change the new resolutions to work for us and how to have more grace for ourselves. Key Takeaways: New year resolutions need to start with the right mindset and expectations. Resolutions can be l...

Why don't holidays feel as exciting once you are an adult? James and Sean discuss this question from one listener (thanks for asking!). They chat about some possible reasons and provide tips on bringing back the holiday feels that made it special as a child. P.S. from Sean and James This is our 50th episode, a big milestone for us! Thank you to our team that made each episode happen and to you...

How can you find excitement and a sense of purpose with routines? Sean and James talk about how routines may seem mundane but are useful and needed in our daily lives. They discus how it's important to differentiate between maintenance and growth-oriented routines and why you can't always rely on external factors to push you to do your daily tasks.  Key Takeaways: Life can be a double edge...

In this episode, Sean and James discuss adulting struggles—the loss of friendships and social connections, and how to find ways to build a core community.  Key Takeaways: The digital world is a double edged sword; it’s made it easy and difficult to stay connected. Having a tribe to socialize with can make a positive impact to your mental health. Finding community requires action. Episode Quotes: J...

Let's talk about fear. Fear of being a parent, friend, not being enough. Sean has been going through these this week, and he and James talk about what drives them and why we shouldn’t let it get the best of us. They discuss an exercise of writing down fears and anxieties to see them in a light of love, which is what Sean has been doing to overcome them. Key Takeaways: The fear of loss can come...

This episode is all about money. Sean thinks that having too much is just going to make your life worse. James, on the other hand, thinks it can improve your life for the better, especially if you are smart about having it.  Listen as the two debate what huge money can do to someone's life and discuss how much money is too much. Finally, they talk about how money drives our fears and tie that...

In this episode, Sean and James dig into imposter syndrome and how it shows up in their lives. It's something we all have to deal with no matter what stage you're in. They talk about sports stars and businessmen who went through imposter syndrome and what they did to get out of it. Listen to this episode to learn how you can deal with imposter syndrome and stop it from hindering your own s...

In this week's episode, Sean and James talk about how James' routine has changed and how Sean has been going through struggles as a parent.  James has taken a break from writing, and falls into an old habit of watching tons of sports, which he thinks comes from his addiction to easy access to entertainment. They talk about the concept of unwinding and what it means for both of them. On the...

In this episode, Sean and James talk about child tantrums and how they relate to them as adults.  They get deeper into why kids, and even adults, throw tantrums, how they deal with them, and the reality that everything in life comes and goes. Key Takeaways: The biggest challenge as parents isn't dealing with kids' tantrums but rather how to handle them properly. Showing compassion doesn&#3...

Sean and James talk about feeling life has little meaning. Everything can feel seemingly against us. Is there a point to any of this? Let's find out what Sean and James have to say based on their own experiences. Key Takeaways: Building relationships and having a community is essential  Purpose is never given or found. You have to create it.  Bonds are created through experiences and time. It...

Sean and James think so! This week, they talked a lot about guilt and how to potentially live a more guilt-free life. Key Takeaways: It is not a natural instinct to feel guilty. Guilt is all internal. Nobody can make you feel guilty. A lot of guilt is also learning to be self-forgiving. Episode Quotes: James on going through life's ups and downs "You'll have good weeks. You'll have...

In this episode, Sean and James talk about the concept of not having enough time (this comes up pretty often for all of us!) and how we have to say no to things because there just isn't enough time in the day.  They give some personal examples of the things they've been saying no to and tell us how they overcome the fear of saying no (you can do it, too!), which is associated with differen...

This week, we talked a little bit about golf and related it back to our day-to-day struggles at work and in life. We also discuss the concept of a five-day workweek, and lessons from life to take small steps towards bigger goals. Key Takeaways: To get back on track after feeling burnt out, tackle smaller tasks first and move your way up. Procrastination is not laziness. It's a coping mechanism...

This week, James and Sean talked about being PM versus AM-shifted, being on autopilot in your routine, and having to check in occasionally and reevaluate how routine can actually be a double-edged sword. Key Takeaways: If you're trying to maximize your productivity, you should plan your day to your circadian rhythm. Constantly reevaluate and think about why you're doing what you're doi...

This episode is about living in the present and focusing your energy on what you can control. First, Sean and James talk about the new addition to Sean's family, a daughter, and the struggles he face now that he is a parent again. They talk a little bit about James and how he's prioritizing his life around his new job. Lastly, they spoke of being present and how to be less polarizing. Key...

It's been a while since the last episode, but Sean and James are back to talk about life struggles. James is pretty busy with his new job, and in this episode, he shared the struggles he is experiencing in his new sales role, trying to find the right work/life balance, including finding the best time to record new episodes with Sean. The good news is he is learning new skills and improving! Se...