Unconventional Life – Podcast, Blog, Live Events

Author: Jules Schroeder

  • 5 Tips For Work-Life Balance While Working Remotely

    5 Tips For Work-Life Balance While Working Remotely

    By 2020, over half of all people will be working remotely. For millennials, the ability to work remotely isn’t just a “nice-to-have,” but for many it is becoming a career requirement.

    According to a recent study done by Fidelity, the majority of millennials would take a pay cut if it meant they could find more purposeful work and better work-life balance. With such a rise of millennials prioritizing balance it is no surprise that the number of co-working and co-living places around the world is growing exponentially.

    Millennials want to be able to wake up in a beautiful place around the world and have a reliable place they can get their work done, while being able to fuel their creative interests and passions at the same time.

    That’s why Gabrielle Bonneville, the co-founder of Momentom Collective, a global network of entrepreneurs and artists who live and co-work in exotic locations like Bali, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, has gained so much international traction so quickly.  

    Momentom Collective believes that the key to professional and personal success is balance, which is why they’ve structured their work lives around travel, community, art, and movement. Below, learn from Bonneville how you can integrate Momentom Collective’s principles into your own life to achieve greater work-life balance while working remotely:

    1. Tap Into Creativity For Inspiration At Work. Are you one of the seven in ten millennials who feels disengaged at work? Have you ever hit a plateau in your business, or encountered a wall in your performance? If so, Bonneville says the remedy is creativity, which science affirms is a wellspring for inspiration.

    “Seek to find a balance between work and creativity, whether that’s taking the time in the morning to meditate or visualize where you want to be. Spend at least one hour a day doing something creative. You will find so much inspiration for your work,” Bonneville says.

    Getting creative can help you generate novel ideas, as well as see things from an expanded perspective, which are valuable professional skills.

    2. Engage In Mindfulness. Work can create undue amounts of stress and anxiety, so it’s important to have a practice to counterbalance these effects. Bonneville recommends doing yoga, which can help you alleviate stress and cultivate serenity. “Yoga is really about accessing your mind and the potential within it. My yoga might be somebody else’s trapeze or burlesque dancing,” Bonneville says. Aim to find a practice that both soothes and sharpens your mind in order to complement your work.

    3. Choose To Co-Work. According to psychologists, one of the greatest risk factors for depression is loneliness. Unfortunately for many of us, our day-to-day lives don’t optimize towards social interaction and our direct face-to-face contact with friends is minimal. Studies show social media use has its opposite intended effect, making us feel more isolated.

    In today’s digital age, it’s crucial to set aside deliberate time for engaging with friends beyond the screen. Better yet, structure your life in such a way that face time with friends is built-in. Momentom Collective’s members live and cowork together in a communal space, so social time is integral to their day-to-day. “The idea was to create a network of residencies where people who want to travel will be able to hop around, still have that lifestyle design of aerial and yoga, and be able to meet different people around the world, Bonneville says.

    4. Make Movement A Daily Habit. One of the Momentom Collective’s core philosophies is self-expression through movement. Bonneville says, “If you’re finding you’re living this dull existence, find a way to express yourself and observe yourself in one breath.” Daily movement can provide a number of mental benefits (in addition to obvious physical benefits), including improved mental focus, memory, cognitive flexibility, and academic performance, which makes it a great accessory to work.

    5. Take Advantage Of World Travel. There’s a reason the Momentom Collective has chosen Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Bali as destinations for their residencies—they provide a way to get in touch with nature’s beauty and the experience the world’s cultural diversity.

    Seeing new parts of the world can infuse your life with more rich experiences to supplement the potential “dryness” of work. Similarly, learning new things can help shake up an old routine. The Momentom Collective hosts multiple workshops each day for its members, with member-contributed content ranging from tips to succeed in entrepreneurship to lessons in aerial arts. “You have to take a leap from outside your current environment,” Bonneville says.

    Enjoyed this post? Check out more of my tools for creating a life by your own design.

  • 5 Ways Millennials Can Deal With Life Transitions

    5 Ways Millennials Can Deal With Life Transitions

    I’ve been hosting international business accelerators for nearly two years now, and I’ve noticed a pattern—over 90% of the people who come identify with being in a transition of some kind.

    In fact, I find the vast majority of millennials I talk to these days are “in transition.”

    That’s because we’re waking up to the fact that we want more out of our lives. The hunt for happiness has shifted away from seeing success as the possession of material things or status to success as a measure of fulfillment and quality of life.

    What do you do when what once served you no longer “fits”?

    If anyone knows about graceful transitioning, it’s Trevor Barran, a former Wall Streeter who left behind the city for the “pura vida” in Central America. He’s a former aerospace engineer turned 14-time serial entrepreneur who holds a Ph.D from Princeton.

    Barran is the CEO of Lionheart Capital and the owner of Aqua Wellness Resort, a stunning Nicaraguan wellness resort nestled in a secluded beach and jungle cove. Aqua places a strong emphasis on nature, with its guestrooms perched high atop the jungle canopy in luxury “eco” treehouse suites where guests can interact freely with native wildlife.

    This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, Barran shares about the keys to embracing change. Below, learn from Barran five strategies for thriving inside a life transition that can help you access peace and identify your next move.

    1. Embrace New Experiences. New experiences are perfect for transitions because they capitalize on the fact that you’re especially open to seizing new opportunities. Try something you’ve never done before, and it may end up leading you to your next destination. The best experiences provide a “pattern interrupt” and get you out of your comfort zone, whether that’s visiting a foreign location or gaining experience in a new industry. If you’re not one for planning, consider attending a curated event.

    When Aqua was still in its development phase, Barran decided to uproot his life and relocate to Nicaragua, though he didn’t know much Spanish. “I have always been motivated by experiences. I think time is the most precious thing we have,” he says.

    2. Consult Friends. When you’re not sure where to go next, friends can help point you in the right direction. Friends provide a different vantage point and can see your blind spots. Those who’ve known you for a long time may be able to suggest a new path that’s suited for your interests and skillsets.

    While North American culture emphasizes independent action, in some ways it can be limiting. Barran says Nicaraguan culture is heavily focused on relationships, which offers the benefit of a collective mind. “Nicaragua is wired a completely different way. It operates in this very familiar, tranquil, harmonious way, because people highly value their interpersonal relationships,” he says. Psychologists agree that shifting from a “me” to a “we” mindset can help you see a fuller picture.

    3. Be Willing To Let Go. Sometimes, a life transition takes the form of a role that’s no longer viable or fulfilling. Is your current role in your job or relationship still serving you? Change may seem threatening, but it’s often just a gateway. “It’s important to know when to let go of things, to be honest with yourself when it’s time. Plan your exit from your responsibilities, because that allows for a much smoother growth beyond you. Much of the trials and tribulations in these founder/entrepreneur experiences occur when there’s a natural transition that the founder isn’t able to see,” Barran advises.

    4. Invest In Something You Care About. Shifting your perspective to invest in long-term gain can generate anticipation and excitement. Is there something of grander scale you’d like to see come to fruition? Now could be the time to start laying down the foundation.

    Barran says Aqua was a long-term project that was worth the wait. “Dan, the founder, had this vision to create a wellness resort,” Barran reflects. “He had a very compelling idea for creating this resort that connected people with nature, that integrated the jungle into its design. I found it very compelling. We said well, if we’re gonna invest in something that is unknown to us, it might as well be something pretty special.”

    5. Restructure Your Priorities. Have you ever climbed to the top of the ladder only to find it didn’t provide what you thought it would? Lack of fulfillment at work is a common source of transition for millennials. Often, what we think will satisfy us—whether it be a promotion, a salary raise, or an esteemed award—doesn’t fit the bill.

    Barran recommends shifting your priorities towards things of greater substance. Instead of pursuing self-recognition, seek to share the spotlight and serve something greater than yourself. “If you create a company in your own image it will never be larger than you,” Barran says. “I think business is so much more rewarding when you have a crew of people who are building success with you. You don’t want to go through life being #1 and having no one to share it with.”

    Enjoyed this article? Check out more of my tools to create a life by your own design.

    This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

  • Millennials, Here’s How To Use Your Instagram Account To Travel The World For Free

    Millennials, Here’s How To Use Your Instagram Account To Travel The World For Free

    I’m what you call “late” to the Instagram bandwagon.

    I just created my first account a few weeks ago and I’m beginning to see why so many millennials are obsessed. Not only have I been getting more engagement with Instagram than Facebook, Twitter, or other social platforms, but it’s also helping my business.

    In today’s digital world, having a big Instagram following is akin to having a prestigious resume—it’s an instant credibility boost.

    Just the other day my friend Virginia Salas Kastilio, the CEO of a media firm, posted to Facebook a job offering for a speaker at an all-expenses-paid event on a private island. The only criteria? A minimum social following of 100k+.

    As my friend Zach Benson put it, “When you’re at a networking event and the person you exchange business cards with sees you have a following, of everyone else they meet, they’re gonna remember you.”

    Benson is himself an Instagram connoisseur, the CEO and founder of the Instagram management agency Assistagram, which has served high-end clients like The Ritz Carlton and The Four Seasons. Benson has engineered viral Instagram campaigns and boasts the ability to reliably build massive accounts from scratch in a short period of time. In the past year alone, he’s stayed at over one hundred exotic hotels for free in exchange for exposure to his Instagram travel network of 12M+. Not to mention, he’s also a professional dancer and a TEDx speaker.

    For the average person, building a following on Instagram might seem like a daunting task. But to Benson, it’s all a matter of simple algorithms.

    This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, Benson shares his method for building Instagram followings fast, and leveraging your following to travel the world for free. Below, learn from Benson how easy Instagram can be and how you can enjoy its travel benefits.

    1. Join An Alliance. One of Instagram’s algorithms for ranking content is based on how many comments a photo or video gets soon after being posted. Benson says you can boost your photo’s visibility exponentially by combining forces with a team. Every time you or one of the members of your “alliance” posts a new photo, ensure that each person comments on the photo immediately, because a post’s first ten minutes are the most crucial for gaining traction and determining how extensively it’ll reach beyond your current following. Aim to form teams of 15+ people and it’ll help your photos perform optimally.

    2. Follow The Golden Rule. According to Benson, “content is (and will always be) king.” Quality content should always be your first priority, so dedicate yourself to taking high quality, vibrant photos and pairing them with engaging captions or a call to action. For best results, coordinate your content to adhere to a complementary color scheme so that when your followers scroll through your feed, your body of photos reflects your “signature” style and is visually beautiful.

    For inspiration, consider modeling your profile after top Instagrammers’ feeds. Take note of the kinds of color palettes they’re using and their content ratios between photo, text, and video

    3. Hashtag Smart. Instagram allows you to see how many users have used a particular hashtag before adding it to your post. While it’s tempting to use hashtags that have been used millions of times, it’s not very effective. These hashtags are highly competitive, meaning you’re unlikely to rank among the top. Instead, use hashtags that have been used between 100k-900k times. If you’re unsure of which hashtags to use, Benson suggests digging through the posts of the top influencers in your niche and using the hashtags they’re using. Make sure to max out your hashtags—you can use up to 30.

    4. Monitor The Health Of Your Account. Benson says there’s several common behaviors can damage the health of your account that you should avoid at all costs. When you do these behaviors, they trigger Instagram’s algorithms for lowering your engagement and your potential to gain new followers. These behaviors include posting inconsistently, changing your display picture or username, using an automated posting tool, and doing too many actions (like mass-liking photos or following new accounts).

    5. Partner With Brands. Once you have built a sizeable Instagram following (at least 50k+ followers), you can approach hotels with offers to expose them to your audience in exchange for a free stay; Benson regularly scores VIP reservations at luxury hotels. “If you have a big Instagram account you can use that account to pretty much get anything for free, because big brands want to pay you for exposure” Benson says. 

    6. Speak Their Language. According to Benson, hotels have a huge gap in their content and marketing needs, which makes it a perfect opportunity for Instagram influencers to fulfill. Offerings that will appeal to them include photos, videos, blog posts, article features, graphic design, SEO, and website design. Learn these skills and reach out to them via email to propose a trade.

    7. Differentiate Yourself. Remember, big hotels get dozens of email offerings a day, so it’s crucial to differentiate yourself. “I usually say ‘VIP Reservation’ in the subject line, and then I got straight into my accomplishments. Explain why your offering is different than others and explain what you can do for them,” Benson says.

    For more extensive information, consider downloading top Instagrammers’ free guides, which you can usually access in their bios when you visit their profile page. 
    Enjoyed this post? Check out more of my tools to create a life by your own design.

    This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

  • 5 Ways To Make Yourself Visible To Prospective Employers

    5 Ways To Make Yourself Visible To Prospective Employers

    Searching for a job isn’t always a whole lot of fun—according to the BLS, the average person spends up to ten weeks before landing a new job, and that intervening time can be tense as savings drain and expenses pile up.

    Millennials have been dubbed the “job hopping” generation, with six in ten perpetually open to new job opportunities. What this means is that competition for jobs is stiff, and if you want to secure a job with better prospects, you’ll need to really stand out.

    How do you do that?

    Take it from one millennial whose full-time job is amplifying others’ visibility and crafting a compelling reputation. He has an impressive track record, including rocketing one client to stardom in a matter of months.

    Meet Julian Petroulas, the 25-year-old founder of Over Agency, a boutique management and marketing agency focused on the development of unique artists on a worldwide scale. Before Over Agency, the serial entrepreneur founded and sold a successful festival promotions company and a subscription tech company. Petroulas has worked with top talent, including Timmy Trumpet, a multi-platinum EDM artist, and William Singe, a singer who boasts a social media following of 6M+ as well as 1B+ video views.

    This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, Petroulas shares tactful strategies that enabled him to expand his visibility and create a powerful online presence. Below, learn how you can apply Petroulas’ advice to convey your strengths and increase your visibility to prospective employers and secure your next great job.

    1. Leverage Your Local Community.

    Never underestimate the power of your local community. Petroulas said he was able to get the ball rolling on his way to building a personal reputation with the help of his hometown in Australia. You can be proactive about making connections and expanding your influence by attending local events that interest you. Check out Facebook and Meetup events to see who’s going and network with similar others. You never know who might have connections with the employer you’re intending to reach, or conversely, who might be able to link you up with a job opportunity you never knew you really wanted.

    When Petroulas was first starting out, he says all of his connections in his hometown were completely grassroots. As a 15-year-old (over a decade ago), he didn’t have access to the networking apps or social technology that we do today. His strategy was printing and passing out homemade flyers—and yet, it was tremendously effective in getting his name out and what he credits to selling out his events. Face-to-face connections can be powerful, so start being proactive today.

    2. Represent Yourself On Social Media.

    Petroulas says talent can go to waste if you don’t represent yourself to your potential. Case in point—William Singe had just 5k followers on social media when Petroulas began working with him. “He was already so talented, he just needed to be marketed properly” reflects Petroula. “I think that’s what it comes down to most of the time.” If talent is half the battle, the other half is taking advantage of social platforms to maximize your reach.

    93% of prospective employers view your social media profiles before making a hiring decision (not to mention 55% of them reconsider hiring, usually to a candidate’s detriment, based on what they find) so take care to represent yourself online in a professional light, showcasing your strengths and talents.

    3. Enlist A Support Team.

    What was the secret behind Singe’s posting strategy that amplified his following to 5M? Petroulas says he hired a professional photographer to take photos of Singe and—get this—even an entourage of professional writers to caption his social media posts. “People started to remember the posts because they had that something that grabbed your attention straight away. Captions are a big thing; just one little one-liner can change the engagement so much “ says Petroula. Consider enlisting a team to help you uplevel your online content.

  • Millennials And Their Kids: Why They’re Choosing DIY Education

    Millennials And Their Kids: Why They’re Choosing DIY Education

    For millennials the conversation around raising kids is not too far off in the distant future. For many that reality is already here with over 50% already becoming parents. Unlike our parents’ generation where the procedure was get married, buy a house, and then have kids, millennials are doing things a little bit differently.

    Take it from Jared Angaza who became the guardian of a 10-year-old Rwandan boy at the age of 27. He’d been studying in Africa for most of his life, and when he noticed a young boy selling peanuts outside of his office, he fell in love.

    “Somebody asked me how this happened and my immediate response was I just kept saying yes,” Angaza jokes.

    Angaza is the founder of Slapshot Studio, a creative branding agency that builds custom websites and developmental strategies for ambitious leaders. He’s also a philanthropist who has consulted an extensive list of human rights organizations, including the American Indian Movement, Keep a Child Alive, Genocide Intervention Fund, and USAID, as well as the US, Nigerian, Rwandan, and Kenyan governments.

    Angaza is one of a growing number of millennials who are approaching the milestones of growing up nontraditionally. Increasingly, millennial parents are turning to alternative education options with 77% saying they are in support of DIY education, wherein learners craft a path to fit their needs.

    This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, Angaza shares about why he is choosing DIY education for his own kids, and why it’s a viable option for millennial parents.

    Below, discover why nontraditional schooling might be right for you and your current or future family.

    DIY Education Teaches Relevant Skills For An Evolving Job Market

    Millennials have been dubbed the “true entrepreneur generation,” with career success looking much differently today than it did in the past. Today’s rapidly evolving job market requires millennials to be more adaptable, independent, and entrepreneurial than earlier generations.

    Tomorrow’s technology will undoubtedly give rise to job titles that don’t exist yet, as we saw with social media spawning a generation of digital influencers. Which begs the question—is traditional schooling preparing our kids for the career outcomes they desire?

    67% of millennials say their goals include starting a business, while only 13% say they want to climb the corporate ladder.

    Bjorn Leonards, a millennial entrepreneur and alternative education enthusiast, says, “I realized that 99% of what I had “learned” in school was absolutely irrelevant for what I’m doing now. Reading, a bit of writing and basic math is really all I am using. And it can be learned very quick. We let ourselves be led by excitement and joy. I have no intention to withhold this way of inner guidance from my children.”

    DIY Education Teaches Dynamic Learning

    More and more millennials are recognizing that the model of being tested on information that you have been taught to memorize does not equal learning. Not every individual learns the same which is why the online course industry has grown to $255B this year.

    There are infinite more options available for all learning styles online and personalization on the path to learning is one of the most key factors.

    DIY Suits A Mobile Lifestyle

    According to the US Census Bureau, millennials made up 43% of all movers in recent years.  Nearly half qualify as “vacation movers,” meaning they’re moving to new cities without the intention of staying there long-term. Often, they’re drawn to neighborhoods with lower rents, direct access to big cities, and trendy atmospheres, including Oakland, Brooklyn, Austin, and LA. 

    The rising trend of the digital nomad is undoubtedly making mobility more accessible, with the number of telecommuters increasing 115% in the past decade.

    With more millennials pursuing a dynamic lifestyle, traditional schooling is becoming a less viable option. Settling down in one place may have appealed to our parents, but for millennials, traveling is a high priority. Angaza has personally worked in remote locations around the world, from South Africa to Costa Rica and soon to be Kauai.

    DIY Education Allows For More Connection

    The average family today spends just 49 minutes together. Between the time demands of work and school, what’s left over isn’t a whole lot of quality time. More than one in five children complain they don’t get enough time with either of their parents.

    With the average teen spending nine hours a day consuming media, and with ten times as many children and teens obese today compared with forty years ago, it could be that parents just aren’t actively involved enough in their kids’ lives.

    Angaza says homeschooling his kids has allowed him to connect with them and foster a strong familial bond. “I’m a skywatcher—I sit outside with my daughter and we watch the stars and planets together and that’s very aligning for me,” he remarks.

    Studies show homeschooled kids are happier, healthier, and perform better academically and socially than their traditionally-schooled counterparts.

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