The Traveling Cup Podcast

 “I learned that people’s opinions of me didn’t matter and that wasn’t a reflection of who I was.” @iwearyourshirt “You don’t get what you don’t ask for.” @iwearyourshirt “Define your own metrics of success.” @iwearyourshirt   On the show with me today is Jason Zook. You may know him better as Jason Sadler, Jason Headsetsdotcom and Jason SurfrApp. Jason is the founder of iwearyourshirt.com and honestly, one of the most creative people that I’ve met when it comes to making money outside the typical 9-5. In fact, having to work the 9-5 is one of Jason’s greatest fears, I’ve learned. What I love most about Jason is that he decided early on his life that instead of trying to fit in, he would embrace and unleash the fact that he thinks differently. And the truth is, most people struggle so hard to fit in and in doing so, repress themselves to live under someone else’s definition of normal. He’s a big fan of Skittles, a car junkie and has a platonic crush on Elon Musk, which, for those of you who have been listen

 “Don’t go necessarily for big media; go for your readers.” @RyanBiddulph “When you’re doing something for a sustained period of time, then it feels crappy, where you don’t feel energized, you’re doing it wrong.” @RyanBiddulph   My friend Shannon introduced me to this guy months ago and I’ve been reading his work; I even did a little bit of traveling because of him and he helped guide me in the surfing adventure I was looking for. On the show today we have Ryan Biddulph. He is the brilliant man behind Blogging From Paradise. Ryan helps people retire to a life of island hopping through smart blogging, and I’m really excited to talk about smart blogging because it’s something that I’ve been working on my strategy as well. We’re going to dive deep into the jungle of blogging. We’re going to explore Ryan’s writing strategies, and of course, we’re going to learn how Ryan has connected the dots between school, his passion and of course, what the world needs.   On this Coffee Chat: Mentorship with Darren Rowse, 

 “Coconut oil is medicine.”   On the show with me today is a good friend of mine, Tyson Adams. This is Tyson’s second time coming on The Traveling Cup. On Episode 33, we dove into everything about his amazing philanthropic startup, Jhai Coffee House. It’s one of my favorite episodes because it talks about one of my obsessions – coffee. He started the world’s first coffee shop in Laos that gives back 100% to its community. So far, they’ve constructed 9 clean water wells, sent 4,000 kids in 35 schools and gave access to clean water and hygiene education. They’ve built a café that acts as a social business which educates the farmers in the community about specialty coffee, and a coffee warehouse which has been wonderful in providing infrastructure for the farmers to basically maximize the earning potential of their coffee. Tyson is here with me today to talk about his latest venture with Zuddha Coconut Oil, and this is a unique turn in Tyson’s entrepreneurial path, and I’m really excited to talk about how Tyso

 “How do you live within these massive limitations? How do you live when you don’t know how much energy you have from one day to the next?” “Monetize your mission, monetize your passion, and then take those steps forward.” “If you can extract wisdom from each and every situation, then it’s not a negative thing – it’s an empowering thing.” On the show with me today I have Sarah and Aaron Sanchez, two really special guests whom my wife and I had the honor of meeting at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. You guys have heard me talk about my stay at Omega Institute for the Living Well With Lyme Disease Conference already, but you’re going to get an insider’s look here with two very special people that I’ve met there. Aaron and Sarah are the hosts of the podcast, LymeVoice, where they focus on the path from Lyme Disease to wellness. For those who have been following The Traveling Cup for a while, you know that I’ve talked a bit about my wife’s struggle with Lyme Disease, so this is an especially meaningful

 “When you follow your dream, when you follow your passion, really nothing can stop you.” @DreamNipotence “As you start to become aware of what it is that you value most…you can start to use that as a measuring stick for making your decisions.” @DreamNipotence   On the show with me today is Jo Caragh. After 17 years as a communications operator for 911 for the Toronto Police, Jo left to follow her gut feeling, which is I think something that everyone listening to this podcast could relate to. And there was something more that she wanted to be doing. At 911, she honed her skills as an expert communicator, developing the tools to effectively connect with people to achieve the best possible outcome. She brings her experiences as a trainer, a mentor supervisor and creator of an award-winning communications program. Check out ChooseDreams.ca to learn more about Jo and her work and her concept of Dream Nipotence. On this Coffee Chat: A shoutout to Jennifer Hough How mentors can help you step into something bigg

“Don’t ever give up hope. Continue to fight, because you never know what’s going to happen in front of you; you never know what plan is meant for you.” @JhansonSteel “No – don’t accept the negative statistics…you fight until you can’t fight anymore.” @JhansonSteel “With anything in life, if you are truly passionate about it, you’re gonna give it every bit of energy that you have to see this goes forward.” @JhansonSteel On the show with me today I have the real man of steel, JJ Hanson, joining us. Now JJ’s story is one you will never forget, and I’m really excited to dig into his new line of work, with his new nonprofit, or helping the nonprofit Voices Against Brain Cancer. JJ’s a US Marine and brain cancer survivor who advocates for policy changes on behalf of patients. He recently approached the New York State Department of Health to officially declare May 27th as New York State Grey Day, where people wear the color grey to help promote brain cancer awareness. And this is awesome – he just completed a Spar

“We have to realize that we have many of the solutions in our hands.” @thelongestswim “Looking at the bigger picture and what we are doing for the next generation, I think, is the most important thing.” @thelongestswim “It’s not the big things that make the world change; I think it’s the little things that you aggregate and the power of numbers.” @thelongestswim   On the show with me today is Ben Lecomte. For those of you who have been listening for a while, you know that I’ve devoted my life’s work to have real, meaningful impact and to live my life intentionally. For that reason, Ben is a huge role model for anyone who wants to go big and make huge impact. Ben is a long-distance swimmer who will be swimming across the Pacific Ocean, from Tokyo to San Francisco. It’s actually not just to go for a swim – it’s part of this incredible global movement, a global effort to re-think sustainability. This is the perfect example of how someone can take their passion and apply it to have incredible impact in the worl

 “When you want to be extraordinary, that’s within the confines of being normal.” @bhaesa “I’ve always believed that no matter what situation you find yourself in, until you learn something from it, you can’t escape it.” @bhaesa  Let’s go over the pond to England, where Bhavani Esapathi helps people find their purpose through adversities that come in their life. She founded what’s called Chronically Driven, which is a digital social innovation hub that empowers those with chronically debilitating illnesses, helping them connect and share their story with the world. On this Coffee Chat: Learning from a mentor: respecting other people’s beliefs and opinions. Success isn’t dictated by your educational background Successful entrepreneurs desire to learn more How Chronically Driven brings invisible disabilities to the forefront of mainstream media Positively affecting others’ lives through your work ADVICE: Be persistent in the good work that you’re doing, even if you don’t ‘see’ anything happening. Finding wo

 “You got to do what you love.” @JeffreySlayter “You only have so much life, so whatever you can do to create your own thing, get out and do it.” @JeffreySlayter “That’s what it’s like as an entrepreneur – you have no idea if it’s going to work out and just put yourself out there and trust.” @JeffreySlayter   Let’s fly all the way over to Australia where Jeffrey Slayter now calls home. Jeffrey’s got a really unique background. Born in Hawaii into a family of entrepreneurs, Jeffrey eats, breathes and sleeps entrepreneurship, especially when he’s not surfing. There’s so much I can say about this guy, but in short, he started up a bunch of businesses that have not only done a whole lot of good in the world – kudos to that – but also made quite a bit of money as well – double kudos to that. His purpose-driven mission has brought him on the stage with Sir Richard Branson, Tim Ferriss, Tony Robbins – I mean, there’s so much that we could talk about today on the show. Let’s have fun and dive into what’s got Jeffre

 “The most important thing that I learned is that luck plays a huge factor in everything.” @rogerwu99 “Being humble is probably the most important characteristic – whether you’re an employee, whether you’re an entrepreneur, whether you’re a rockstar – whoever you are.” @rogerwu99   Let’s meander between New York and California where Roger Wu divides his time. Roger is an entrepreneur and the founder of Cooperatize – an advertising platform that guarantees placements and at the same time will save publishing. Roger’s special talent? Using story to captivate and make lasting impressions. You may also recognize Roger as the bodyguard for the Prime Minister of Micronesia in the movie Zoolander. On this Coffee Chat: A shoutout to Roger’s father, who was also an entrepreneur Preparation is everything How he ended up in Zoolander Making viral YouTube videos Roger’s vlogging tip: Do something different “Nothing really can truly go viral from one guy sitting in a room, unless he has help doing it.” What form of ad

 “There’s no way to succeed without failure. Failure is the only teacher of business” @meronbareket “If we push ourselves to the limit of what we can do, our limits will expand, we will become better and we’ll see results.” @meronbareket   Let’s fly over to Israel – that’s right, Israel – where Meron Bareket helps inspire innovation like none other. For those who don’t know Meron, he is the founder of Podcast Incubator – a social hub to help podcasters accelerate their show and connect with others in the world. He’s also the voice behind Inspiring Innovation, a business podcast that helps, well, inspire innovation. Meron’s mission is simple: he helps others create freedom through entrepreneurship. Get your podcast starter kit at http://podcastincubator.com/travelingcup   On this Coffee Chat: A shoutout to Ralph Quintero of Happy Someone! Mentors helping pave your way to success Whose problem are you going to solve? Standing out doesn’t have to be “different” It’s not about you – it’s about your audience Gi

“Life is better when you are doing what makes you happy.” @neuronsaway “Our imagination is our most powerful tool.” @neuronsaway “Imagination, although undermined and thought that it’s only relative to children, is actually one of the building blocks of who we are and how we grow as a human race.” @neuronsaway   Sally Safadi, the creator of Neurons Away and a book that lately I’ve been obsessed with called Fill In The Space, joins us on The Traveling Cup today. She’s an Acro yogi, and when she’s not practicing Acro Yoga, she helps curve creativity and inspire innovation with unconventional tasks. We’ll be diving into how she wrote her book and the impact that it’s having right now.   On this Coffee Chat: A shoutout to Sally’s fifth grade teacher, Mr. Crump Sally’s book, Fill In The Space, which stimulates the use of the imagination and creativity. Imagination as one of the building blocks of who we are “We have this innate power to imagine and to create, but we don’t necessarily have the tools and the pla

 “Realize that your problems are not uncommon at all.” @laviniaiosub   Let’s fly all the way over to Bali, Indonesia where we’re getting to chat with Lavinia Iosub who is with Project Getaway. A big shout out to my friend Shannon who introduced us! Looking at Project Getaway – it just looks perfect. I’m really excited to hear the story of how she got it started, why she’s doing it, how she got to Bali all the way over from Romania. Project Getaway is a 30-day event for entrepreneurs and digital nomads that come from all over the world. They come together in Bali and they network, develop their business ideas and live the adventure of a lifetime in this paradise. It’s basically an incubator, a conference, a retreat, a network gathering and a working holiday all in one. Let’s fly all the way over to Bali, Indonesia where we’re getting to chat with Lavinia Iosub who is with Project Getaway. A big shout out to my friend Shannon who introduced us! Looking at Project Getaway – it just looks perfect. I’m really exc

 “There’s a difference between watching your life go by from the sidelines and just jumping right in and being a full participant in it.” @robertdomingo   Joining us in this episode of The Traveling Cup is Robert Domingo. Robert is the creator of Mid-Life Round-the-World – one man’s journey of preparing for, embarking on and returning from a mid-life round-the-world trip. We are going to dive into his journey of how he came to go on traveling around the world, his passion for storytelling and balancing passion and practicality. Traveling was something he’s always dreamed of but wasn’t able to do, being stuck in a job he just couldn’t quit. His blog tells his story of how he was able to do finally it and the stories and adventures he went through while traveling. On this Coffee Chat: Finding the courage to let go of things that hold you back Taking risks and handling doubts On traveling: “The worst case scenario when I come back is that I’ve gotten to see the world.” How you can make the most out of your e

 “The highest will and the highest purpose that any of us can assign ourselves to is finding our own happiness” @larendeeroos “The level of happiness and inner peace a person carries is not directly proportional to the size of their bank account.” @dawndcoach   Join me in New York City where Larendee Roos and Dawn Doherty help executives maximize their leadership potential, all the way down to their spirit. They are the leaders of spirit-based business. That’s right – spirit-based business. Something I haven’t heard of very much before but after learning about it from Larendee, I love it. We’ll be diving into what a spirit-based business is all about and finding happiness and peace in your own business. On this Coffee Chat: A shoutout to Ken Woolley, a serial entrepreneur The importance of mentorship in finding your purpose The meaning of “relaxing into happiness” What is a spirit-based business? Transforming your life to transform your business Finding your purpose and helping others discover theirs How

 “How far do you really want to go? How fast do you really want to go? Are you prepared for it?” @TylerBel “You can fall and you can fail, but that’s part of life, and the best part is when you do, you learn so many lessons.” @TylerBel “There aren’t limits if you don’t believe it to be so.” @TylerBel Let’s fly over to Portland, Oregon where vagabond Tyler Bel calls home. Tyler Bel is incredible! Just one look at her impressive resumé and you’ll be amazed. I like to think of her as the Peter Pan of an entrepreneur, because she creates fantastical companies that help push people’s dreams to a whole new reality. We’ll be diving into the story of how TINSEL started out, the importance of mentorship, Tyler’s take on success and many more. Among other work, Tyler is the founder of TINSEL, which is a cool acronym, which means There Is No Sky Experience and Lifestyle. She acts as a facilitator to not only tell a brand’s story, but also act as a business development hub and intermediary to high-profile companies and

 “At some point, you have to realize that you can’t really make things ideal and you can’t always rewrite and reedit and make it nicer.” @Ani_LifeProb “When I’m writing, I’m not really thinking about whether the book will be selling or not, whether people will like it or not” @Ani_LifeProb “If you have a dream or you want to do something with your life, just go ahead and DO IT and TRY IT. You may fail, but it will be worth it even if you do.” @Ani_LifeProb   Let’s fly over to Armenia where Ani Alexander joins us on the coffee chat today to share her story of finding greater purpose in her work – which, by the way, she is the first podcaster in Armenia. That is awesome. She will be sharing her story, how she got started and her journey through podcasting and writing. Ani is a storyteller, an Amazon best-selling author and of course, the first podcaster in Armenia. Perhaps like Ani, you have a story inside of yourself that you want to share but haven’t had the chance to do it yet, or something is just holding

 “Go out there and prove yourself.” @erin_gee “I think that we just need to take risks as creative people, as people who want to make a difference.” @erin_gee “If you feel like you need to do something, you just do it.” @erin_gee Erin Gee joins us on The Traveling Cup today. She is an Ottawa-based writer who is a public servant by day and a community-focused do-gooder by night. She’s kind of like Batwoman – I love it. She’s here to talk about her work, what inspires her, how she really loves peanut butter cookies, and of course her new website, The Unconventional. Erin is a writer and eater and a high-five expert. She is a regular contributor to Ford magazine and Startup Canada and has also been published by the Huffington Post Canada and Canadian Government Executive Magazine.   On this Coffee Chat: How Erin aims to push the creative edges of government How to bring about innovation in a slowly-changing system like the government. What makes an inspiring workplace? A place where good ideas are encouraged a

 “What is ‘freedom’ to everybody around the world and how can we allow more people to have it?” @nataliesisson “First of all, what’s your vision for life? What do you really want out of it? What’s your perfect day look like?” @nataliesisson “You have to absolutely, 100%, go after this vision – for what you want out of life – and DO IT.” @nataliesisson     Before there were all these awesome bloggers and podcasters out there, there was a woman who helped start it all. One day, she packed her suitcase with the aim to work from home and build her business around her life instead of how mainstream work forces people to build their lives around work – so she started up the lifestyle business. Natalie Sisson joins us on the coffee chat today to talk about freedom, how she started her business and her newest venture, The Right2Freedom. Today we’re going to talk about her story of finding purpose and then of course what’s been going on lately with her vagabonding and the outback in Oceania. If you want to live a li

“With all the (social media) platforms that are out there, see which one you enjoy, but also where your audience is.” @socialdiva “Have fun, do what you love, take breaks, move this needle forward so as not to burn out as an entrepreneur.” @socialdiva Let’s hop on over to Silicon Alley of New York City where social diva, Peg Samuel, hangs out. An adjunct professor at New York University, Peg is a proven leader in online branding and digital strategy and helps give social media makeovers. In this interview, we’ll be talking about the different social media platforms, marketing and Periscope, a live video streaming app for iOS and Android. We’ll also be digging a little bit into surfing + yoga – how fun is that! She was a key part in the 2012 London Olympics social media strategy and is the founder of socialdivamedia.com. Her specialty? Fashion and wellness brands.       On this Coffee Chat: The conversation that helped Peg have deeper purpose in her work How Peg went from social diva to being a professor in N