Author: Jules Schroeder

Ep62: How This Kindergarten Teacher Leveraged His Side-Hustle To Become a Pro BASE Jumper For RedBull

At 30 years old, Jokke Sommer‘s zeal for life is contagious. Each day, he risks his life to do what he loves and lives like it’s his last—literally.

Sommer is a professional BASE jumper, one of the few thousand brave souls on the planet who attempt the most dangerous sport known to man, with approximately one death every 500-1,000 jumps.

If you don’t know what BASE jumping is, it involves squeezing into a skin-tight, full-body nylon wingsuit and gliding over the jagged edge of a mountain at 160 MPH.

Sommer has been responsible for making basejumping popular on youtube and is one of the best flyers in the world, sponsored by GoPro and RedBull, whose daredevil feats have earned him millions of video views and hundreds of thousands of followers across social media.

Unlike most extreme sportists, Sommer doesn’t have a lifetime of experience in his craft. In fact, just years ago, he used to be a Kindergarten teacher and base-jumped whenever he could make time.

This week on Unconventional Life, I interviewed Sommer about how to make your side-hustle your full-time job.

Growing up in Son, Norway, Sommer says he always had a taste for life’s greatest thrills. He was fascinated with all things that could fly and dreamed of flying one day.

Though he graduated college with a degree in graphic design, Sommer became a Kindergarten teacher because of the flexibility and the lifestyle it afforded him. As a teacher’s assistant, he was able to take days or weeks off at a time to go BASE jumping.

“That was always the number one thing for me… not getting a job that paid big money but getting a job that was flexible,” Sommer says.

Sommer started BASE jumping as a side hobby, a “getaway from the office.” He never anticipated it would one day become a fruitful source of income. In fact, he lived a very lean lifestyle just to be able to afford the equipment—at times sleeping out of his car or camping in tents.

Sommer got his big break when he decided to post a video to YouTube of one of his jumps. The video went viral and sparked the inspiration for a YouTube series called Dream Lines, which follows Sommer on his exhilarating flights down the mountain.

Some millions of video views later, Sommer began getting sponsorships from big-name brands like RedBull and GoPro. Soon after he quit his job teaching and was getting paid to BASE jump and travel to the world’s most exotic jumping sites.

Below, Sommer shares practical advice for how to make your side-hustle your full-time job.

Success Is Not Always Obvious

The income from BASE jumping enabled Sommer to quit his job as a Kindergarten teacher and pursue flying full-time. “I guess I got rewarded by actually daring to chase something that’s not an obvious success. It was not something that I knew was going to go well,” Sommer says.

Though Sommer’s success is an anomaly, his story is relatable. How many of us feel like we have a yearning to do something more with our lives, to take bigger risks and experience more of what life has to offer?

Though your side hustle may not seem promising, if you love it and do it well, stick with it. When you’re the best at what you do, it doesn’t matter what it is—people will pay attention, and attention is today’s most valuable online currency.

Prioritize Freedom Whenever Possible

Sommer says to chase what you love because in it you will feel free. Let your drive be living life on your own terms, free of being told what to do or how to spend your time.

“It is scary to jump off a cliff but to me it’s way scarier to not be free. To be told every day you have to do this, you have to do that, is way scarier than possibly dying young,” Sommer says.

Be Willing To Take Risks

The trade we make between giving life our all and playing it safe may actually be keeping us from a life well spent in the long run. Be willing to take risks—share the time you spend in the office with an activity that makes you feel alive and like you are fully tapping into life’s well of joy and enthusiasm.

“This concept of living life on the edge, you grab life in a different way. Every day you’re always excited and happy and then it’s gone. People ask me, ‘aren’t you afraid of dying young?’ No—I’m already 500 years old. In order to do all the things I’ve done before I was thirty the average person would have to live to be 500,” Sommer says.

Sommer shares more about taking risks in his chapter of the upcoming book, 3 Billion Under 30.

Enjoyed this post? Check out more of my tools to live life by your own design.

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

January 20, 2017
Ep61: Feeling Unproductive at Work? Here’s Why

With the average Millennial consuming nearly 18 hours worth of media content daily, it’s no surprise Millennials struggle with unproductivity and difficulty focusing at work.

In 2017, the digital stratosphere is expanding at a quantum rate, and it’s cluttering our lives and workspaces.

If you’re feeling unproductive, chances are you’re experiencing information overload. I’m talking about the mindless scrolling through social feeds and the bottomless consumption of content our generation is addicted to.

It’s a fact that the human brain can only handle so much information—when it exceeds capacity, the prefrontal cortex shuts down and leads to impaired focus that sabotages work efforts.

As a general rule of thumb, the more you try to do, the less you’ll accomplish. If you truly want to be more productive, the solution isn’t to do more… it’s to do less.

That’s the foundation of the million-dollar practice one New York City consultant has built. Meet Omar Hassam, founder of Success Accelerators, a brand-building agency for Millennials that generates on-demand revenue surges using simple strategies. In just 90 days, Hassam skyrocketed one client’s revenue to $1 Million.

This week on Unconventional Life, I interviewed Hassam about clearing distraction and maximizing productivity.

Below, Hassam shares his counterintuitive method to accelerate success by doing less:

January 13, 2017
Ep60: Millennials, This Is Why You’re Searching For a New Job

It’s no secret that Millennials are drifters when it comes to the workplace.

42% of Millennials change jobs every one to three years, while 60% perpetually remain open to new job opportunities. The dawn of a New Year is an especially active time for job switches, with over 50% thinking of making a career change.

If you’ve got job hopping on your mind right now, you’re in good company.

But the real question is, why are Millennials switching jobs so frequently?

Identifying why you’re not satisfied and what you’re truly looking for is essential in helping you align with a job you’ll love for the long-run.

One advisor sheds some light on the most common areas of work Millennials aren’t satisfied with.

Meet Tayo Rockson, a cross-cultural advisor to companies about employee retention and bottom line strategies. He’s also an internationally-recognized speaker who has presented at the United Nations, and the host of “As Told By Nomads,” ranked the #2 Business Podcast by Entrepreneur.

This week on Unconventional Life, Rockson shares wisdom about what makes Millennials feel unfulfilled in the workplace. If this is you, take comfort in knowing you’ll soon be equipped to find a job that provides what’s really important to you.

You Don’t Feel Valued

According to the BLS, only 29% of workers feel valued in their jobs. This is especially true for Millennials, who often feel like they’re replaceable.

Does your current job provide an environment where you feel safe to speak up? If you’re hesitating to speak your mind or are feeling like your voice doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, it might be why you’re looking for a new place to work.

Your job should be a place where your perspective is welcomed and valued. “In order to stay, Millennials need to feel included,” says Rockson.

You Want More Flexibility

Millennial workers say what’s most important to them is flexibility. In fact, 45% of Millennials would choose a job that paid less if it offered more flexibility.

Are things like travel, an open schedule, and more time to spend with loved ones important to you? If your current job requires a rigid schedule and a physical location, you might want to consider looking for a job that offers more flexibility.

Many new companies are taking cue from Millennials and creating jobs that accommodate a flexible lifestyle. Rigor, an Atlanta-based startup, won the 2014 Best Places to Work in Atlanta award with its “work from anywhere, anytime” policy.

You Don’t Feel Like You Fit In

Feeling like you fit in at work is key to enjoying your job. Seek to find an environment that includes a broad range of individuals from different backgrounds and you will feel more accepted and welcomed to express yourself.

“Is your employer hiring from different backgrounds?” says Rockson. “That, at the very baseline is a functioning team.”

A lack of diversity can create a hostile environment within the workplace, reducing collaboration and creating tension. 57% of Millennial workers feel their company should be doing more to increase diversity.

You Don’t Feel Like You’re Growing

The number one reason Millennials are likely to leave their current job is because of their boss.

It’s important you find a boss who supports you in your growth and evolution both professionally and as a human being. Find someone who cares about you and the overall quality of your life. Your boss should be less a supervisor and more a mentor if you are to feel supported long-term.

Better yet, become your own boss. 66% of Millennials say they want to start their own business—if you’re feeling boxed in by management, it may be time to take your own initiative. Online summits are a great resource to gain tools to jumpstart your entrepreneurial journey.

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

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com.

January 5, 2017
Ep59: Millennials, Here’s How To Stick To Your New Year’s Resolution This Year

With 2017 right around the corner, the buzz about New Year’s Resolutions is just beginning to sound in.

Maybe you’ve already started sketching out a weight loss plan, complete with a pilates membership and a monthly food delivery subscription.

Or… maybe you’re feeling somewhat resigned about the whole thing altogether. If you’re anything like the average American, you’ve probably made more resolutions than you can count that didn’t last more than a few weeks or months past January 1st.

The unfortunate truth is that only 8% of people achieve their New Year’s Resolutions. The rest fall off due to lack of motivation, stress, and resistance to change.

If you want to be successful, you’ll need a fuel source far more powerful than sheer willpower or discipline alone.

One Millennial goal-slasher has a formula to help you stick to your resolution all-year-round.

Meet S. Brian Smith, a serial entrepreneur and world-class leadership coach with an impressive track record. Smith has coached 700+ entrepreneurs, worked with hundreds of small businesses, raised millions in capital, and led several multi-million dollar projects. He’s also a member of the Young Entrepreneur Council, an invite-only group hailed as “America’s Most Elite Entrepreneur Organization.”

This week on The Unconventional Life Podcast, Smith takes us under the hood of his exceptional goal-setting strategy to help you secure your spot in the 8% and achieve the results you desire for 2017.

Focus on the Big Picture

Instead of just honing in on one area of your life to improve, zoom out and take a big-picture approach to complete wellness. This will ensure you’re not hyper-focused on one area of your life while other areas suffer.

If we’re being honest with ourselves, the main reason we pursue goals is to feel happier and more fulfilled in our lives. While setting the goal of earning more money may be one component to feeling happier, it certainly isn’t a standalone solution. The last thing you want to be is more wealthy yet exhausted with poor health.

Smith says that true fulfillment arises from a foundation of physical, mental, interpersonal, and financial health. By focusing on each pillar in conjunction with the others, we can be certain we’re nurturing the full scope of our personal well-being.

Establish a Baseline

Within each pillar, define a baseline level of wellness that you’ll be able to commit to and sustain over the course of your lifetime. This might look like knowing you’re healthy and feeling comfortable in your own body, or having relationships that support you to grow as a person. Notice the improvement in how you feel with wellness-based goals like these versus vanity-based ones like “weighing 175 pounds” or “becoming more popular.”

“When you create a baseline that you’re willing to accept for those pillars and then maintain it, that gives you the stability that you don’t ever lean on any one pillar as a crutch for the others. You guarantee a minimum level of wellness in every area of your life,” Smith says.

Align With Your Values

“There’s a bodily response we feel when our values are in conflict,” says Smith.

Make sure the goals you’re setting out to achieve are in alignment with your core values. For example, is your goal to lose 10 pounds in alignment with your core value to be healthy? If the way in which you’re going about losing weight is unhealthy, you will feel in conflict and likely be unsuccessful in your weight loss efforts. To reconcile this, you can design a weight loss plan that feels nourishing and respectful to your body so you don’t feel any part of you in resistance to losing weight.

It’s nearly impossible to reach a goal if you feel like you’re fighting with or dishonoring yourself along the way. By aligning with your values, you can streamline your efforts to achieve success much more easily.

Create Accountability

It can be challenging to make your goals a reality without the support of others. By enrolling others in your goals, you can create an accountability network that uplifts you when you need it most. You might need to have conversations with the people close to you to get them on board with the new direction you’re taking your life. If you feel like they won’t approve of what you want to do, this can be a huge reason for you to remain in inaction and not achieve what you really want.

“Are you willing to endure that job for the next 5 years or are you willing to have conversations with the people close to you that may last 30 minutes but once they’re over you can live your own life? Too many of us just sit there and want to use someone else as our excuse for not taking action, and we’re just playing the victim,” says Smith.

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

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

December 19, 2016
Ep49: ‘Un-Networking’: The Art Of Leading With Yourself, Not Your Business Card

We live in an age where you have just a few seconds to impress someone with your website, tagline, or bio.

We have become masters at engineering the “perfect” profiles to hook others in and the right pitches to land the job or career advancements we want. If you can outperform your competition, or your business has 100,000 likes on Facebook, by today’s standards, you should feel accomplished.

But the truth is, most of us are still starving for something more.

We’re tired of having to impress all the time and are sick of the superficial, transaction-based relationships. We want to be seen for something deeper than our LinkedIn profiles or our ability to add zeroes to a spreadsheet. We want to be seen for who we are.

That’s why two millennials are taking a stand for a deeper kind of business connection based on depth and substance. No more leading with your business card, period.

Meet Bri Seeley and Thaís Sky, the founders of The AMPLIFY Collective, a movement to unite entrepreneurs on the basis of who they are, rather than what they do. The LA-based duo is famous for hosting standout events that provide entrepreneurs with both the authentic connection they crave and the business collaboration they need to thrive.

I caught up with Seeley and Sky on the latest episode of the Unconventional Life podcast, “Un-Networking: Build a Network You Can Depend On By Leading With Yourself, Not Your Business Card.”

Sky and Seeley launched The AMPLIFY Collective as an alternative approach to the traditional way of networking. They found that, despite having extensive networks, many entrepreneurs were still starving for real and authentic connection.

The AMPLIFY Collective was born from the idea that you don’t have to sacrifice friendship for success. You can actually have the best of both worlds: meaningful, one-to-one relationships within a community of ambitious entrepreneurs who have your back.

The secret lies in what Sky and Seeley call “un-networking,” a methodology they developed that fosters connection on the grounds of who you are, rather than what you have accomplished.

“It’s more important to show up as who you are than what you do. Don’t lead as your job title—it creates a barrier between people. Form a relationship first, get to know the other person and then call them up for their business skills because you love who they are,” Seeley says.

The duo claims that when we approach business collaboration from an authentic standpoint, it yields better results. According to the Harvard Business Review, when authenticity is perceived in a business relationship, trust, engagement, and commitment are highest.

“Business takes place in a greater capacity without the cheesy elevator pitch,” Sky jokes. “Too many of us hide behind what we do without getting to the core of who we are. People buy from us because of who we are, not because of our website.”

The AMPLIFY Collective currently hosts three events per month to entrepreneurs through its membership offering. The events are distinguished for squashing superficial, transactional exchanges in the name of refreshingly intimate and genuine connection.

Below, Seeley and Sky share how you can transform your own business relationships to feel meaningful and relevant to you

1. Lead with yourself. Who you are is your greatest accomplishment, and should be at the forefront of an introduction. Lead with what it is that wakes you up in the morning and drives you every single day, or the kind of change you’re standing for in the world. Make sure to omit your job title and how successful you are—these things are secondary and have nothing to do with you.

2. Focus on the value you get from the relationship. Don’t go into an interaction with an agenda or something you’re trying to get from the other person. Instead, simply let the relationship with that person and the joy you get from knowing them be enough. Others can sense when your motivation for connecting with them isn’t pure and it creates a barrier between you both. If you do really need help with something, disclose that and be fully transparent rather than coercive.

3. Let the business value emerge from a space of authenticity. Let the foundation for your connection be a commitment to show up as a friend for the other person regardless of what you get in return. From that space, allow any business collaboration to emerge organically. An added benefit to waiting is that you are more likely to understand the other person’s unique skill set and where they are best suited to serve you after you really know them. The quality of the collaboration will be much higher as well as feel better for you both—instead of feeling used or disposable, you’ll feel like a valued friend.

Enjoyed this post? Check out more of my tools to create a life you love here.

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

December 17, 2016