Michael Dash is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, investor, mentor, speaker, author, and thrill seeker. From building a company to over 5 million dollars a year in revenue to writing his upcoming book, Chasing the High, Michael is an extremely driven, multi-passionate individual.
His background consists of his addiction to gambling and road to recovery, a 6-year lawsuit with his past business partner, climbing and conquering Mt. Kilimanjaro, and continuously supporting and contributing to Leukemia Lymphoma Society’s Team-in-Training fundraising group.

Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover. On the cover of Michael Dash’s life not long ago, he was super successful, had conventionally checked all the boxes, and had all the right things going for him. Unfortunately, this cover was wildly deceiving and isolating, as Michael shares how deeply depressed and unfulfilled he was chasing the high of money making and gambling addiction.

Choosing a different path was a courageous choice that would ultimately redirect the course of his life. He’d been stuck for years, and it wasn’t until he found himself at our first ever Unconventional Life live event in Bali in 2016 that he started to come to terms with the fact that how he’d been living his life wasn’t going to cut it anymore.

When you’re caught comparing your success, company, lifestyle to those around you, remember that there is always more than meets the eye. There are only so many years and so many moments of another’s life that you’ve bared witness to. If you’re feeling stuck in a rut or unfulfilled by the world surrounding you, remember that you always have a choice. Just like Michael, he found ways to try something profoundly different and begin again.

Everything is about Perspective. We’ve all lived different journeys, have unique perspectives, and diverse experiences that make up infinite ways of being a human. People may not understand the shifts you begin to make, but they also may never understand your thought processes, your reality and the things you’ve been exposed to either. Try on a perspective that sees everyone as having something unique to offer you in their opinions and advice. Michael swears that some of the core elements of his life today, such as meditation and intuition, were a complete joke before he shifted his life and perspective. He now finds himself constantly interested in what others have to say, viewing each interaction as an opportunity to grow and expand his understanding of the world.

How might you choose to be curious about someone who seems radically different from you? What questions might you ask if you allowed yourself to be genuinely interested in what they see or believe? When you’re choosing a new path, people will have all kinds of beliefs and advice how about you could or should do things. Listen, integrate what feels good, and seek to grow from all your interactions.

Trust Your Journey, Your Flow, and Your Own Knowing. Michael believes that the sequence of events that led to his shifts were opportunities presented at the right time for the right reasons. In his latest iteration as an author, he is joyfully embracing the unknown into what he calls life with a question mark. He finds excitement in not knowing what the future holds but knows he always has a choice.

When you’re transitioning from your conventional life to an unconventional path, “what’s next” thoughts, “what-if” scenarios, and imposing advice about what you should do might show up. Michael recommends acknowledging your track record and finding confidence in yourself. Only you know what is best for you. When it comes to trusting the flow of money he says, “lean into the million and one ways to make money”. I couldn’t agree more.

.

.

.

.

Amelia Broughton is a relational facilitator and purveyor of connection, pioneering a more connected, communication-savvy, and emotionally intelligent planet. She facilitates Authentic Relating and Relational Leadership in various settings and communities. Her expertise is in team dynamics and interpersonal relations. With over 10 years of experience on teams and in communities, Amelia’s vision for the world is one of beautiful interconnection, a place where we put down the distractions and to-do lists to bask in the miracles that surround us. The type of connection that nourishes us internally, externally and has every one of us feel seen, heard and loved with a true sense of belonging.  An active Unconventional Life member, Amelia recently became our Operations Director and will be consistently contributing her writing.

Darrah Brustein is a special return guest and it’s clear to see why we had to have her back.   She is the founder of the networking events company, Network Under 40, which serves over 30,000 people.  She founded and grew an electronic payments company into 38 different states with her twin brother.  An avid writer, Darrah is a columnist for Forbes, ThriveGlobal, Entrepreneur, and has written a kids book on financial literacy.  With her next book in the pipeline, she founded a virtual summit called Life By Design, Not By Default to support people in designing the life, career, relationships, and network that they truly desire.  All this, while traveling 60% of the time for pleasure!

As I listen to Darrah’s podcast, I’m reminded of evolution.  I think so often we box ourselves into a career with certain skills and ways of operating, and many times we’re missing the ability to express parts of ourselves that deeply want to be shared.  When you know deep down it’s time to move into the next phase of your life, what holds you back from welcoming the change? One of the biggest questions woven into this podcast is “what do you do when who you’ve been isn’t aligned with who you are today?”  

In this podcast, Darrah shares the process she went through to answer this very question and live life by her own design, not by default.

In this podcast you’ll learn…

• How to listen to feedback to discover your next career move
• What it takes to intentionally design the life you truly wish to live
• The value of committing to your growth
• The importance of your network and how to build it

Key questions inspired by Darrah’s podcast:

What does success mean to you? After being let go multiple times from conventional jobs, Darrah made the choice to step into the entrepreneurial world and try her hand at something much less glamourous than her sexy fashion career.  It was in this choice that her twin invited her to start an electronic payments company. After initially being offended by his request, she decided to be curious about the opportunity and was able to see the greater value she would be able to provide with this career path.   Originally her version of success had included working for someone doing something she was passion about; this new company would allow her to learn and grow while helping people at the foundational level of their company.

Someone else’s version of success may look nothing like your own.  In this case, Darrah’s shift came from adjusting her perception of what could be possible when she looked through a different lens.  Instead of just checking the boxes every day, what could you get excited about contributing to the work you are doing?

  
How are you committing to your personal growth? Growth can look an endless amount of ways and it’s important to find what works best for you.  

Right before Darrah attended the Unconventional Life Italy Business Accelerator, she realized things needed to shift in her company, Network Under 40.  It was after that event that she made a promise to herself to carve out time and energy to discover this next phase of her life.

Committed to the exploration, it wasn’t about letting go of all that she’d created, but instead taking a look at who she was, gathering intentional data, and asking questions.  She read books, went back to old journals, did free flow brainstorms, asked what problems she’d want to tackle, and noted what people would come to her for.

Through this process she was able to take what she’d learnt and overlay it with what was already working in her life.  Growth is just as much about expansion as it is shedding layers.

Who are you surrounding yourself with? It’s important to assess the relationships you’re investing your time and energy in.  Are they lighting you up? Do you feel exhausted or inspired after your interactions?

Darrah suggests finding friends that are on the same or similar path you desire to be on.  Look for people that are in alignment with what most excites you.

With social media, intentional networking events, and various growth-oriented communities popping up all over the world, the opportunity to create relationships that inspire and support you is available like never before.

Asking for feedback about who you are to other people helps you see how you’re viewed in another person’s perspective.  This process illuminates places in your life that are unique to you and shines light on the waters you swim in every day.

Virtual summits, such as The Life By Design, Not Default Virtual Summit, can be a great place to spark conversations with people who are interested in things you value.

Seek out events that elevate you.

Amelia Broughton is a relational facilitator and purveyor of connection, pioneering a more connected, communication-savvy, and emotionally intelligent planet. She facilitates Authentic Relating and Relational Leadership in various settings and communities. Her expertise is in team dynamics and interpersonal relations. With over 10 years of experience on teams and in communities, Amelia’s vision for the world is one of beautiful interconnection, a place where we put down the distractions and to-do lists to bask in the miracles that surround us. The type of connection that nourishes us internally, externally and has every one of us feel seen, heard and loved with a true sense of belonging.  An active Unconventional Life member, Amelia recently became our Operations Director and will be consistently contributing her writing. 

Gabrielle Bonneville is the co-founder of Momentom Collective, an artist residency for entrepreneurs featuring co-training and co-working in exotic locations around the world—

Including Bali, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Prior to founding Momentom Collective, Gabrielle worked at the United Nations promoting human rights.

In Gabrielle’s episode, you’ll learn:

• How to surround yourself with inspiring and uplifting people – create a kickass community!
• Tips to manifest the life of your dreams
• The keys to profound introspection and authentic self-expression
• And so much more…

Major themes in this episode:

1. Introspection is the key to self-actualization.

In order to fulfill upon your dreams, you must first know yourself so that you can know what your dreams are. The more in touch you are with yourself, the more you will be able to attune to what satiation feels like for you in terms of aligned work, relationships, hobbies, etc. So how do you come to know yourself?

Gabrielle says for her, the pathway is introspection. Introspection can look different for different people. For you, it may be…

• Awareness of breath
• Meditation
• Yoga
• Psychedelic journeys
• Creative outlets

“Whatever form connecting with self comes in for you intuitively and excitedly, do it for a minimum of twenty minutes a day,” Gabrielle recommends for maximum results.

2. Credibility starts in your immediate network.

In just a few short years, Momentom Collective has impacted thousands globally and become a household name among aerial artists, entrepreneurs, and travelers.

Gabrielle credits the success of Momentom to the quality of her internal community. At each residency, community is at the core of their values. Momentom welcomes artists and travelers into their residencies on an application basis. A hand-curation process ensures that each individual is in alignment with the intentions of the broader community, while maintaining an intimate environment that fosters meaningful connection. Word spreads among visitors, which in turn attracts more visitors.

While many of us think the best way to create community is through an active social media presence, Momentom reminds us that in-person connection and word-of-mouth advertising can be just as effective, if not more.

How can you create more emphasis on in-person connection in your brand?

3. Who you surround yourself with matters.

You’ve probably heard you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. But are you living by this?

Pay attention to how you feel when and after you spend time around others. Do you tend to feel drained after spending time with certain individuals? Does maintaining any connection feel like “work”?

Don’t expose yourself to others who consistently drain you.

Practicing self love means not jeopardizing your well-being by spending time with those who drain you. It can be hard to hold a firm boundary around access to your energy, but it is much better for yourself and those involved. Sometimes, by keeping others around who do us harm—advertently or inadvertently—we are enabling them.

If you really value a connection with someone whose presence seems to dull your light, have a conversation with them. Be honest and give them feedback about your experience of connecting with them impacts you. Remember to own your experience; the conversation may be delicate so how you approach it can influence the outcome. Don’t levy blame. Use “I” statements rather than “you” statements, and use specific examples. You might say, “when you do ___, I feel ___.”

Honesty can go a long way in improving any relationship. However, if honesty still doesn’t work, you may consider distancing yourself from this individual. You can still love and support them at a distance that honors your own well-being.

It’s just as important to fill your circle with those who uplift you.

Gabrielle says, “Surround yourself with the right people. I have a desire to be surrounded with business entrepreneurs, energy healers and artists. Build a team around yourself that is so bomb.”

Aim to curate a group of friends who uplift, inspire, and encourage you. The presence of these people in your life will nurture you and facilitate your growth.