Unconventional Life – Podcast, Blog, Live Events

Author: Jules Schroeder

  • Ep290: The Right to be Published with The Author Incubator President, Dr Angela Lauria

    Ep290: The Right to be Published with The Author Incubator President, Dr Angela Lauria

    Everyone has a story they want to tell, and the author-writing coach Dr Angela Lauria has helped thousands of aspiring authors to take those stories and share them with the world.

    Dr Angela E. Lauria is the founder of The Author Incubator™ and creator of the Difference Process™ for writing a book that matters. The Author Incubator was ranked #275 on the Inc. 500 fastest growing companies and #60 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Entrepreneur 360. Dr Angela won the Stevie Award’s Coach/Mentor of the Year Award and her program, The Author’s Way was named Coaching Program of the Year and was named, by Entrepreneur Magazine, as one of the top 10 most inspiring entrepreneurs to watch – one of only 2 women on the list.

    She knew at an early age that her destiny was written on paper and printed in leatherback. She was a natural bookworm, finding a second home in the library and a calling to write and be read. Her love for literature lead Angela to devote her time to publishing and helping marginalized authors speak their minds.

    “A lot of my work is just really helping women, LGBT folks, and people of colour, step into their authority in getting their message out there.”

    To Angela, being an author doesn’t just take vision, but action as well. She points out how a lot of her students wait for a “right time” before pursuing a career in writing and how she has helped them take the first step towards making a profit from their published work by helping them realize that “they have the authority; they just don’t have the clarity necessary to see it and claim it.”

    “You have to become the person who wrote the book before you write.”

    Angela also tells us how the changing times call for a new generation of writers; those who are dedicated to their craft and are willing to make a difference with the stories they have to tell. She makes it a point that the market looks for two types of authors; those who have mastery and the ones who want to become even better at it.

    Today, Angela and her team at the Author Incubator have helped aspiring authors turn their published work into a profitable revenue model with the same idea in mind; building mastery and forming a structure of commitment.

    “Number one, you’re not ready to write a book yet if you haven’t already done it, and then number two, if you’re not committed to continuing. That commitment to wanting to get better, that’s what I’m looking for.”

    More from Angela:

  • Ep289: Managing Relentless Creativity with Musician Entrepreneur A/J Jackson

    Ep289: Managing Relentless Creativity with Musician Entrepreneur A/J Jackson

    They say creativity doesn’t run out; the more you use, the more you have. This is especially true for musician and entrepreneur AJ Jackson.

    AJ started his career as the vocalist for Saint Motel, bringing new sounds and their own reinvention of music to the world. This led to their band gaining traction in the indie-pop scene. But AJ’s creativity didn’t stop there. He found himself in the movie-making industry and, somehow, even starting-up his own eyewear company, AVIEW. Like a comet through the sky, AJ doesn’t seem to have a stop button when it comes to bringing his ideas to life.

    “I always kind of have a restlessness,” AJ describes, “And the best way to scratch that itch, is to create.”

    AJ explains that his drive for reinvention is “like this constant feeling that we’re not there yet—I’m not there yet.” Further explaining that it is a blessing and a curse to be full of creativity, but emphasizing that the success of his pursuits all started from a crazy idea.

    “I would love to just turn that off, and just be content, but there is definitely a part of me that’s like, ‘they will not allow that’.”

    He also talks about his band and how their long-term bond has helped keep him grounded. Serving as both anchor and wheel when he comes up with something new.

    “Part of the benefit of having a band and being with like-minded guys who you’ve grown up with is that every step of the way, we can share it together.”

    When asked how he manages to keep his thoughts under control and navigate his passion towards achieving his goals, he points out that a fresh perspective and a few deep breathes make all the difference when things get too overwhelming.

    “Sometimes it definitely feels overwhelming and it’s like you just wanna give up. But you just have to be outside of yourself for a second,” he explains, “and realizes what you’re trying to accomplish is actually very small, very manageable, and very doable.”

    Finally, AJ leaves us with a little reminder to focus on what we can control and the things that are out of are hands shouldn’t distract us from our original goal.

    More From AJ and Saint Motel:

  • Ep288: Taking the Turn with Hollywood Producer Gary Goldstein

    Ep288: Taking the Turn with Hollywood Producer Gary Goldstein

    There’s a certain joy that comes with telling your life’s stories, and in today’s episode, Hollywood producer Gary Goldstein shares the glam and gloom on the journey he took before becoming a film legend.

    Raised in San Francisco, Gary had a deep connection with music, people, and the stories they had to tell. Though he’d done events from time to time, he never really saw himself playing a huge part in the music industry, and instead found himself in law school with a goal to help where it really mattered.

    “I liked the artistry, the storytelling and working with musicians,” Gary narrated, “but I wasn’t crazy about the business. So I took a real left turn and decided that I wanted to champion the underdog, I wanted to help save the world with everybody.”

    For a long time, Gary devoted his life to helping the misfortunate and underprivileged community of San Francisco’s ghettos. But after years of service, Gary made the bold decision to step away from his career as a lawyer.

    “It was some of the most emotionally challenging—and one of the best—chapters in my life. The people I met and the lessons I’ve learned were extraordinary, but I didn’t want to make that my life.”

    It wasn’t an easy decision to make, and when he was confronted about the choice he made, Gary explained that “I felt like I was withering from the inside. Where I was, was extremely unhealthy for my soul and my being”.

    And at the age of 30, Gary went on to pursue all sorts of passions. From literature to music, and eventually stumbled across the film industry where he finally found his calling – Storytelling.

     “Some of us are fire starters, we’re not great operators, that’s what I am,” Gary said, “I look for amazing people and a North Star that’s gonna somehow inform my life and end up being a really positive contribution.

    “I just have this insatiable curiosity, wondering and needing to hear people’s stories, because I find every human fascinating. Even if they don’t know it.”

    For a film boss, there’s no better time to make a life-changing decision than the present. Whether you’ve invested time into a growing career or are just figuring out where you belong. Gary encourages us to be brave and when in doubt, ask ourselves:

    “I have precious little time here and I need to make the biggest possible dent that I can, where am I going to accomplish that?”

     

     

    More from Gary:

     

  • Ep287: How to Make Money Work for You, with Real Estate Investor Eng Taing

    Ep287: How to Make Money Work for You, with Real Estate Investor Eng Taing

    Making the first investment can be a scary decision, but as real estate investor with $150M assets under management and Touzi Capital CEO, Eng Taing tells us, self-doubt leads to missed opportunities.

    Born to a poor immigrant family, Eng was raised under harsh living conditions. Even so, he is thankful for his circumstances as it was the catalyst for his pursuit of financial freedom and security. Speaking from experience, Eng shares with us three key factors to consider in making that first investment.

    1. Think outside of your scope. Depending on your location, Investing in the Real estate might not be the best move. It pays to really take your time in finding the right avenue for investing and expand the options that you have.

    “If you live in a very nice, very expensive area with high price income ratios, it’s probably not the best place to invest,” Eng says, “Think outside your scope, in terms of potentially investing in another part of America.”

    2. Always look for a partner. When starting out, Eng puts the emphasis on actively seeking partnerships. Whether it’s a partner who can provide financial stability or someone who can provide the time to make the magic happen behind the scenes, it’s important to make connections and find people who are just as eager to achieve financial freedom as you are.

    “There are lots of meetup groups in real estate; people really want to help, it’s a very helpful industry.”

    3. Think of scale and cost efficiency when investing. It takes the same amount of work and time to pay for a 5-million-dollar loan and a 300-thousand-dollar loan in the sense that investing in more units reduces property management fees and variable costs.

    “I am in the business of ‘scale’” the real estate boss says. He advises entrepreneurs to analyse each decision. “Can I put a scale on something? Can I make it better? Is my 50th time really good, and can I create cost efficiencies across the board?”

    Eng is an economist by training, from the Wharton School of Business. He also has experience leading data science and analytics at Apple, Capital One and AT&T. Touzi Capital focuses on high cash flow investments and providing passive income to investors by acquiring and optimizing multifamily, industrial, senior living assets and offering investments in Blockchain and Pre IPO stock, among other things.

    More from Eng:

  • Ep286: Growth Through Connections with Women’s Business League founders Melissa Gilbo and Amy Pocsik

    Ep286: Growth Through Connections with Women’s Business League founders Melissa Gilbo and Amy Pocsik

    As the saying goes, “if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, bring company.” This couldn’t be truer for the dynamic duo, Melissa Gilbo and Amy Pocsik, founders of the Women’s Business League.

    They could have lived a good life with their stable careers in finance and loving families to support them, but a fateful encounter at a local pizza shop in Georgetown, Massachusetts led them to abandon their six-figure state of mind to pursue the unconventional life that they live today.

    Building around trust, they made a community that was aimed at encouraging and empowering women to be the big shots that they were meant to be; providing a network of support, business connections, and the educational tools for success.

    “We decided to really build the table that we wanted to sit around,” Amy described, “total powerhouse women who were up to big things and making a big impact.”

    Amy and Melissa believe that relationships shape the business and not the other way around. Putting fellowship first, building on their connections, and putting the work boots down, is the key to the success of their community.

    “If you focus on generating value for others, it’s going to come back to you and your business 10-fold,” Amy said.

    Melissa added that “The commonality in what women are looking for is that authentic community and those real relationships.”

    Now, with an expanding network of members and a power-house team, the Women’s Business League isn’t just a legacy by the duo, but as Melissa puts it, they have made a message to anyone and everyone who has a dream and the drive, that we are better together.

    “The heart of Women’s Business League and the focus of these chapters is all about connection and relationship building.”

     

    More from Amy and Melissa: