Unconventional Life – Podcast, Blog, Live Events

Author: Jules Schroeder

  • Ep461: Stop Waiting for Permission: Magnetism, Lifestyle Freedom, and the Business of Being You

    Ep461: Stop Waiting for Permission: Magnetism, Lifestyle Freedom, and the Business of Being You

     

     

    What if the life you want isn’t something you earn after success—but something you design first? In this deeply personal sisters episode, Unconventional Life host Jules Schroeder sits down with her sisters Raya Slavin and Mary Schroeder to unpack identity, money, magnetism, and lifestyle freedom.

    This conversation is for creatives, entrepreneurs, and visionaries who feel stuck between who they are and what they’re “allowed” to want. It matters because freedom isn’t just financial—it’s nervous-system safe, identity-aligned, and built to last.

    Main Topics Covered

    • The “starving artist” myth and how it quietly shapes identity
    • Identity + income collisions and why visibility feels unsafe
    • Nervous system regulation as a prerequisite for sustainable success
    • Designing lifestyle first, then building business backward
    • Magnetism, congruence, and authentic branding
    • Lifestyle freedom vs. hustle culture
    • The role of family, community, and creative support
    • The origin and mission of Pink Lemon Agency

    Key Takeaways

    • Desire is not indulgent—it’s information and fuel
    • Strategy without nervous-system safety leads to burnout
    • Lifestyle freedom looks different for everyone
    • Visibility becomes possible when identity and income integrate
    • Sustainable success requires structures for fulfillment, not just growth

    Episode Chapters

    0:00 – 3:10 | Sisterhood, Origins & the Birth of Unconventional Life
     Jules welcomes her sisters, reflects on nearly a decade of Unconventional Life, and sets the tone for a family-rooted conversation about creativity, business, and evolution.

    3:10 – 6:05 | The Starving Artist Myth & Identity Conditioning
     Mary shares her journey as a circus artist and how internalized beliefs around money, art, and worth quietly shaped her identity and visibility.

    6:05 – 10:20 | Choosing Safety Over Self-Expression (and the Cost of It)
     Raya explores growing up with “safe career” expectations, suppressing creative desires, and how early web design work with Jules Schroeder opened a new path.

    10:20 – 14:00 | Magnetism, Congruence & Authentic Branding
     The sisters unpack what makes a brand magnetic in a saturated world—and why congruence, family, and creative alignment matter more than tactics.

    14:00 – 17:40 | Lifestyle Freedom vs. Hustle Culture
     A deep dive into designing life before business, reversing the grind-first model, and redefining success beyond money and optics.

    17:40 – 24:55 | Nervous System, Visibility & the Zone of Turbulence
     Identity meets income as they discuss nervous system regulation, fear of being seen, charging for gifts, and learning to hold expansion without collapsing.

    24:55 – 40:30 | The Business of Being You & Riding the Wave
     From handstands and toilet paper rolls to surfing metaphors and legacy-building, the episode culminates in a call to act, trust timing, and live an aligned, unconventional life.


    One-Liner Quotes

    • Mary Schroeder: “Desire is the most powerful current and currency we have.”
    • Raya Slavin: “Visibility is safe when it’s free—charging brings identity online.”
    • Jules Schroeder: “What if you engineered your lifestyle first and built the business backward?”

    Connect with the Schroeder Sisters

    Jules Schroeder:

    Raya Slavin:

    Mary Schroeder:

  • Ep460: How Brent Kesler Paid Off $984,711 in Debt in 39 Months—By Getting Uncomfortable With “Normal” Money Rules

    Ep460: How Brent Kesler Paid Off $984,711 in Debt in 39 Months—By Getting Uncomfortable With “Normal” Money Rules

    In personal finance, comfort is usually treated like the finish line. Stable income. Predictable expenses. A plan that doesn’t rock the boat.

    Brent Kesler believes that’s exactly the problem.

    “In your financial life, if you feel comfortable,” he tells Jules Schroeder, “you’re probably not at a good place. You need to get a little uncomfortable… to know you’re really making progress.”

    It’s a bold take—until you hear the numbers behind it.

    Kesler, founder of The Money Multiplier and creator of the TMM Method, says he paid off $984,711 in third-party debt in 39 months and has since helped 17,000+ clients across all 50 U.S. states reclaim financial control using the same strategy.

    Episode 419_ Maya Elious

    And his story didn’t start in finance.

    It started in chiropractic clinics… and a debt total he couldn’t unsee.

     

     

    From Five Clinics to One Big Wake-Up Call

    Before he was teaching wealth education full-time, Brent was a chiropractor running five clinics in the Kansas City area. He was “good at making money,” he says, but not good at keeping it—something he believes describes most people.

    In 2006, he attended a chiropractic conference and heard a talk about “becoming your own banker”—a concept rooted in wealth strategies used for generations by legacy families. It sounded too good to be true.

    He bought the book Becoming Your Own Banker by R. Nelson Nash… and did nothing with it.

    That decision cost him two years.

     

    The Difference Between Knowing and Doing

    At another conference years later, Kesler ran into colleagues who had implemented the strategy. Their results weren’t theoretical. They were practical, visible, and repeatable: debt shrinking, money recycling, cash flow improving without “working harder.”

    He came home and told his wife they had to implement the concept.

    Then came the part most people avoid: the honest inventory.

    In February 2008, Kesler says he was $984,711 in debt—a number he knew down to the last dollar because identifying it was part of the process.

    “It’s a very painful exercise,” he admits, “when you start adding up student loans, credit cards, houses, cars… whatever it is.”

    But pain did something powerful.

    It turned information into action.

     

    The 3-Part Foundation: Mindset, Systems, Mentors

    Before Brent teaches tactics, he goes straight to the real blocker: mindset.

    He frames transformation as a three-part requirement:

    • Mindset: deciding you’re done outsourcing your financial future

    • Systems: using a proven process instead of willpower and guesswork

    • Mentors: learning from people who already have what you want

    He’s blunt about the biggest mindset trap: taking advice from people who don’t have the results you’re chasing—especially family.

    It’s not that they’re malicious, he explains. It’s that they’re operating from their own limitations and fear.

    If you want a different outcome, you need a different reference point.

     

    “It Doesn’t Matter If You Make $10 or $10,000 an Hour”

    A standout moment in the conversation is Kesler’s insistence that wealth isn’t about income—it’s about how money moves.

    He argues that financial tools are available to everyone, but the wealthy use them differently.

    Same tools. Different strategy. Different outcome.

    That’s where his “one-step” concept comes in

     

     

    The Money Leak Everyone Accepts as Normal

    Kesler breaks it down with a simple example:

    You buy a $20,000 car.
    You hand over the money.
    You drive away with the car.

    Great transaction… except the money is gone.

    It left your family. Permanently.

    Kesler’s promise is the opposite: buy the car and recapture the money by adding one strategic step before the purchase—so you can recycle those dollars again and again.

    He knows it sounds insane.

    Which is why he says most people tune out right when he names the vehicle.

     

    The Tool He Uses (And Why It Triggers People)

    The system he teaches is rooted in the Infinite Banking Concept and relies on a very specific type of vehicle:

    A specially designed whole life insurance policy from a mutual company that pays dividends—engineered for high immediate cash value.

    Not term. Not IUL. Not the generic policy someone tries to sell you at a family gathering.

    He claims that when designed properly, you can fund the policy and access cash value quickly (he repeatedly says “immediately,” defining that as within ~30 days). The purpose isn’t the policy itself—it’s what it allows you to do with your capital:

    • keep money compounding

    • access liquidity for purchases/investing

    • create a “private banking” structure

    • reduce reliance on traditional lenders

    And ultimately, build a system where your expenses—yes, even your “normal” purchases—can become part of your wealth-building engine.

     

     

    “Why Wait Until You Die to Use It?”

    Kesler also reframes life insurance as a living tool, not just a death event.

    Instead of a policy that only benefits beneficiaries later, he positions it as a structure that lets you use capital while alive—then pass on the remaining legacy as a tax-advantaged benefit.

    He encourages listeners to treat repayments like they would a bank: if you borrow, pay it back with interest—because your money deserves the same respect as a lender’s money.

     

     

    The Unconventional Life Isn’t About More Money; It’s About More Time

    In the rapid-fire round, Kesler gets surprisingly reflective.

    Unconventional living, for him, means recognizing time as the true non-renewable asset—and choosing what matters now, not “someday.”

    He talks about aging, watching people lose health, and hearing the same regret repeated in different ways:

    “I wish I would’ve enjoyed things earlier.”

    So while this episode is about money, the subtext is clear: financial sovereignty is really about freedom of time, choice, and presence.

     

    Giveaway

    Brent is offering multiple resources for listeners, including:

    • E-book giveaway: Mapping Out the Millionaire Mystery (free to anyone who requests it)

    • Bonus winner giveaway: Two hard copies of Becoming Your Own Banker by R. Nelson Nash 

     
  • Ep459: Crazy Love: Adam Roa on Self-Love, Creative Calling & Expanding Capacity

    Ep459: Crazy Love: Adam Roa on Self-Love, Creative Calling & Expanding Capacity

    Adam Roa never chased influence. He chased truth.

    Before millions of people would memorize his words, before “You Are Who You’ve Been Looking For” became the most viewed live poetry performance in history, Roa was an actor sleeping in his aunt and uncle’s garage in Los Angeles—learning how to survive rejection without losing himself.

    “I never saw myself as a thought leader,” Roa says. “I just wanted to create.”

    When the Win Isn’t a Win

    The poem that launched Roa into global visibility hit 40 million views in 48 hours. It should have been a victory lap. Instead, it initiated a reckoning.

    Behind the scenes, Roa spiraled into depression. The message of self-love he’d offered the world demanded embodiment—not performance.

    “That poem forced me to confront the truth,” he shares. “I didn’t know how to love myself.”

    Capacity Is the Real Currency

    Roa explains that success is energetic. Visibility, money, love—they all require a nervous system capable of holding them.

    “When my poem went viral, my system wasn’t ready,” he admits. “It fried me.”

    The work that followed wasn’t about scaling—it was about strengthening the vessel.

    Love as an Expansive Force

    In Roa’s framework, love isn’t romanticized sentiment—it’s expansion. The same force that grows galaxies, beats hearts, and calls us forward.

    He identifies three relationships that define a life:

    • The relationship with self

    • The relationship with others

    • The relationship with life itself

    Without self-holding, romantic love becomes compensation rather than connection.

    From Independence to Interdependence

    Roa critiques modern entrepreneurship’s obsession with independence. Freedom without relational skill leads to isolation.

    “We’re not taught how to hold space, communicate boundaries, or receive feedback,” he says. “Yet those are the skills that actually sustain love and leadership.”

    Crazy Love: Art Without Armor

    Set for release in February 2026, Crazy Love is Roa’s most vulnerable work to date—a decade of unfiltered journal entries and poetry written never to be read.

    The book opens with an invitation, then leaves readers alone inside the terrain of heartbreak, devotion, and reclamation.

    “It’s a turning of a page,” Roa says. “Not just for me—but for anyone willing to meet themselves honestly.”

    Connect with Adam Roa

    • Website: adamroa.com

    • Instagram: @adamroa

    • Book waitlist: adamroa.com/crazylove

    • Ted Talk: Click here to watch
  • Ep458: From Miscarriage to Mission: How WeNatal Is Rewriting the Fertility Playbook

    Ep458: From Miscarriage to Mission: How WeNatal Is Rewriting the Fertility Playbook

    For Ronit Menashe and Vida Delrahim, fertility was never supposed to become a business.

    Both women had climbed the corporate ladder at Nike, built long careers in marketing and leadership, and checked all the boxes of “doing life right.” Marriage, motherhood, stability. Until life cracked the script open.

    Within the span of a week, both women experienced miscarriages—two best friends, navigating loss at the same time, receiving the same dismissive medical answers.

    “It just happens.”
    “It’s probably your age.”
    “There’s nothing you can do—just try again.”

    But that answer didn’t sit right.

    When the System Stops Short

    What began as grief turned into research. And research turned into outrage.

    Ronit and Vida discovered something few people talk about: up to 50% of miscarriages are linked to sperm quality, yet fertility is treated almost exclusively as a women’s issue. Men are rarely tested. Rarely educated. Rarely invited into the process.

    That blind spot became their breaking point—and their calling.

    They left corporate life and went all in on a mission that felt deeply personal and deeply overdue: turn fertility from a “me problem” into a “we practice.”

     

    Trimester Zero: The Missing Preparation Phase

    What changed everything wasn’t IVF. It wasn’t a miracle intervention. It was preparation.

    Through functional medicine experts, including Dr. Mark Hyman, they learned that while egg count declines with age, egg quality and sperm quality are highly influenceable through nutrition, lifestyle, and environment.

    Men, in particular, can regenerate healthier sperm in as little as 72–90 days.

    They created what they call Trimester Zero—the three months before conception where both partners clean up their diet, reduce toxins, support hormones, and take targeted supplementation.

    The result?

    • Ronit gave birth to a healthy daughter at 42

    • Vida followed three months later

    Their personal experiment worked—twice.

     

    Why the Prenatal Industry Needed a Reset

    When they examined the prenatal market, the problems ran deep:

    • Poorly absorbed nutrients

    • Underdosed formulas

    • Fillers, dyes, and additives

    • No standards for men

    WeNatal was built differently:

    • One prenatal for her

    • One prenatal for him

    • Clinically relevant dosages

    • Third-party testing

    • No shortcuts

    The goal wasn’t speed or scale—it was integrity.

     

    Beyond Supplements: Mental Health, Grief, and Community

    Fertility isn’t just physical—it’s emotional.

    Miscarriage, trying to conceive, and pregnancy loss often happen in silence. That’s why WeNatal includes a shared journal with its subscription, addressing mental health, gratitude, and partnership alongside nutrients.

    Their belief is simple but radical: healing happens faster when it’s shared.

     

    Redefining Success—Later in Life

    Starting a company in their 40s raised eyebrows. Leaving Nike raised more. Choosing no outside investors raised the most.

    But for Ronit and Vida, success was never about optics—it was about alignment.

    “We didn’t want to build fast,” they say. “We wanted to build right.”

    Today, WeNatal has supported over 30,000 families and sparked a broader conversation about fertility, partnership, and agency—proving that sometimes, the most unconventional path is also the most impactful.

    Giveaway


    WeNatal is gifting one lucky Unconventional Life listener their Together Kit, including His + Hers Prenatal, their Manifestation Journal, and their Together Protein Plus—valued at over $350.

     

    Connect with WeNatal

  • Listening to the Body’s Hidden Intelligence: How Inna Segal Turned Trauma into a Global Healing Movement

    Listening to the Body’s Hidden Intelligence: How Inna Segal Turned Trauma into a Global Healing Movement

    For Inna Segal, healing didn’t begin in a classroom, a clinic, or a spiritual retreat. It began in a moment of profound loss and a blunt truth.

    After years of chronic illness, debilitating back pain, anxiety, psoriasis, and the devastating stillbirth of her child, Inna had exhausted every conventional option. 

    She was seeing multiple practitioners weekly, doing everything “right,” yet nothing created lasting change. Then one day, her chiropractor looked at her and said, “Your body is stuck. There’s nothing more I can do.”

    That moment didn’t break her. Instead, it redirected her.

    Instead of asking who could fix her, Inna asked a different question: What if my body is communicating something I don’t yet understand?

    The Body as a Language, Not a Problem

    At the time, Inna was studying linguistics and literature, training to become a writer. Language—how meaning is formed, stored, and expressed—was already her world. What she didn’t realize was that this skill set would unlock an entirely new way of understanding healing.

    Through breath, touch, and inquiry, Inna began listening inward. What she discovered was startling: her body wasn’t malfunctioning. It was remembering.

    She became aware of layers of unresolved experience stored within her body:

    • Childhood trauma from migrating across countries without language or stability

    • Bullying and family conflict

    • Ancestral trauma from war, imprisonment, and displacement

    • Unprocessed grief from losing her child

    As she felt, acknowledged, and worked through these layers, her body responded. Psoriasis that had persisted for 11 years disappeared within weeks. Chronic back pain and sciatica resolved. Anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation faded.

    Healing, she realized, wasn’t about fighting the body: it was about befriending it.

    From Self-Healing to Global Impact

    What began as a personal awakening soon revealed something more. Inna noticed she could intuitively perceive patterns within other people’s bodies—emotional roots of illness, stored trauma, and energetic imbalances. 

    At first, the experience was overwhelming. Over time, she learned discernment, boundaries, and ethical application.

    This work eventually became The Secret Language of Your Body, a book that has since been translated into 27 languages and sold over one million copies worldwide.

    The premise is simple, yet radical: Every part of the body carries wisdom. Symptoms are not random. Illness often begins long before it appears physically—and healing starts with awareness, not blame.

     

    Responsibility Without Shame

    A cornerstone of Inna’s philosophy is responsibility—not as self-blame, but as empowerment.

    “Responsibility,” she explains, “is asking what I’m willing to do now that my body is carrying this.”

    Her work guides readers through understanding emotional and mental patterns associated with specific body parts, reflecting on life events that preceded illness, and engaging in practical exercises that restore agency and clarity.

    Rather than offering generalized advice, Inna emphasizes specificity—mapping a person’s experience with precision. After 25 years in the healing field, she believes detail is what creates lasting change.

    Living—and Healing—Unconventionally

    Inna Segal’s work sits at the intersection of body, mind, spirit, and consciousness. She openly explores topics many avoid: ancestral trauma, intuitive awakening, reincarnation, and what happens beyond this lifetime.

    For her, living an unconventional life means thinking independently, questioning inherited beliefs, and continuously recalibrating one’s inner compass.

    Her message is not about rejecting medicine or logic—it’s about expanding them.

    Because when we learn to listen, the body doesn’t just heal. It teaches.

    Connect with Inna:

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UNCONVENTIONAL LIFE

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