Our Human Sustainability: Recent Episodes
Sean Nicholl
A lot of us abandon our resolutions around the third week of January, but some of us follow through! On today's episode I give an update of how my five goals of 2021 are coming along as well as challenge the folks who gave up to start again TODAY.
With our busy lives and constant distractions, finding time to read is harder than ever. Today I break down tips around the When, Where and How to read more books in 2021 based on my own experiences (with a bonus tip about Blinkist as well).
On this week's episode we explore what I call "The Hyperactive Mind" which is what I think has happened to our brains over the last decade. The Attention Economy has always existed, but right now things are reaching a whole new level. I discuss how this impacts our business lives and personal lives and go over four tips on how to combat it.
For the followers of this channel, in March I decided to do a digital de-clutter and get rid of all distractions that my phone gives me. No social media, no apps, no notifications...nothing! And March was beautiful. Then April came and I basically ruined all the work that March did for me. BUT, here I am back in May trying to get my life back together, and I feel like the channel really helps with that.
Today is the release date for Dr. Mark Hyman's new book "The Pegan Diet" which builds on a few other works of his. In 2020 I was pretty aligned with the principles of the pegan diet before transitioning to go vegan for a year to see how my body would feel. I believe that the best longterm dietary strategy pulls from the principles of a pegan diet, but also recommend you see a functional nutrition doctor for an individualized approach!
Over the past few years I suffered from a trap a majority of people find themselves in...lifestyle inflation. Changing careers last year forced me to focus on the things that are important in my life and my adventure into minimalism began. To start off the year my wife and I did the "30 Days Less is Now Challenge" posed by The Minimalists and Matt D'avella. Here is how it went!
Why do the rules around food seem to change every day? Why does a new diet become popular every month? Why is it so hard to find a source of truth when it comes to food? These are daunting questions and a lot of it is by design. Food policy has become (like most other things) politicized and any time lobbyist are involved you know it won't turn out well. This is what we dive into today!
On today's episode we get a little corny (pun intended) and talk about how awesome vegetables are. Before going on my health journey last year I didn't really eat a lot of vegetables and I didn't really see the point in eating them. I wasn't educated and a lot of people I know are not educated either. Now, I try and live my life with 75% of non-starchy vegetables on my plate each meal, and this episode shows why!
We are one month into 2021 which means I have made it one month since switching to the vegan diet! On this episode I talk about my experience so far including the positives and the challenges.
If you are unhappy in your life give this a listen. For a lot of people, they have everything they need to be happy but find themselves on the Hedonic Treadmill which means your wheel of desire will be spinning forever leading you to unhappiness. This episode breaks down the "challenged thriving" ideal state for humans!
On today's episode we get the perspective from two physical therapists at Eastside Movement Company in Austin, TX on how to take care of your body while working from home. We dive into working from your kitchen table, where your monitor should be located in terms of your eyes, how to sit properly and even how to take breaks and walk properly!
Heading into 2021 I wanted to publicly share my goals and what I was looking to accomplish in 2021. I have found the best form of accountability is through community, so I want the OHS community to hold each other accountable. What are you looking to take on in 2020?
2020 has been a wild year but it was also a year that I spent learning a ton about myself and the sustainability of YOU as a human. Enjoy my 10 favorite things that you can take with you heading into 2021!
On today's episode I break down my favorite documentaries and docuseries from 2020. Watched documentaries is one of my favorite ways to consume information, because it gives me a ton of info to research afterwards. I focus on more education docs, what are you into?
On today's episode I use Old School, Billy Madison and Tim Dillon to explain what I see happening to social media and main stream news "debate" shows. The world needs to make a shift back to dialogue, the past decade has just seen an extreme increase in debating.
2020 has been a weird year for everyone, but I have done my best to make the most of it. It started on January 1st of this year launching this channel in a quest for self-improvement. But I have figured out that once you learn something you cannot unlearn it. With all the research I have done to improve myself I have discovered the Cost of Learning!
Mac Candee had been in a corporate job for 4.5 years as he planned his next move to be a full-time traveling content creator. We talked through how he paid off all of his student loans ($65K is no small number) and what the myths of being a full-time content creator are. This is part one of a series, part two is Mac covering the nitty gritty in how he actually makes money traveling full-time.
With Thanksgiving around the corner, I wanted to do a follow up to my previous food waste podcast on how you as an individual can help limit food waste this Thanksgiving!
On today's episode I get vulnerable about my phone addiction and lay out my plan to attack it. It involves deleting a ton of apps and removing notifications, a phone jail and using my calendar to help.
I got to sit down with Anthony Ruscitto and Amy Hooper, owners of Eastside Movement Company in Austin TX and talk about their unorthodox approach to physical therapy. This is a four part series that I was very excited about! They talk about their main pillars including your body being asymmetrical, treating the cause of the cause of your problem, everybody's resilience and how movement = wellness.
On this episode we talk about Bullshit Jobs, a book by David Graeber. My previous channel focused on the Quarter-Life Crisis which had a lot to do with the work you do. This became part of my new umbrella for Our Human Sustainability, and this book does a deep dive into why 2/5 jobs in the world are bullshit.
Whether you are arguing over MJ vs Lebron or Apple vs Windows, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to change someone's mind. Especially in today's political climate. It is actually your VALUES that control your mind, and in today's episode I break down how to change someone's values.
No, its not some weird diet fad or an attempt to save money. I am trying to tackle an issue plagued by the world...food waste. 40% of the food we buy gets thrown away and the majority of it winds up in landfills which is a recipe for disaster. I reference Recycle Track Systems (or RTS) on their advice to take on this problem.
We have on our first guest of the new podcast! Jared Sklar was featured in both Men's Health Magazine and CNN for losing 95 pounds through intermittent fasting and more healthy lifestyle. We talk about how and why he did it, and more importantly you can too!
On today's episode we dive into Parkinson's Law which states that work expands to fill the available time until completion and how to throw out your to-do list and replace it with your calendar.
In this episode we break down what Human Sustainability actually. When people hear the buzzword "sustainability" it is really hard to get past the environment. Right now we care more about the sustainability of a building then the people working inside of it.
As we transition from focusing strictly on the Quarter Life Crisis, we created a new umbrella under "Human Sustainability" which is a newer term covering all of the areas that I am researching. We talk about what the podcast will be about and the four pillars Human Sustainability covers!
I connected with Anna a few years after we worked together in college to talk about the struggles of the quarter-life crisis. She focuses on trying to keep a strong community around her as a support system and thrives in smaller groups with this type of culture.
Today we look into the different sides of the spectrum on problem solving. One one side you have people who have one singular focus and track down a problem in a relentless fashion while on the other side you have people who tackle multiple problems at once with varying levels of attention. In the midst of a quarter life crisis I found this really helpful...am I focusing on working on ONE thing or EVERYTHING?
Tim has done it all and we always joked that he was basically the most interesting man on Earth. I sit down and talk with Tim about his journey through life, the quarter life crisis, and coming out on the other side thriving!
Understanding your day and life back by science explains a lot. This book talks about the pattern of the day and the pattern of your life. It is an easy read by one of my favorite authors, check it out!
Erik recently got his MBA and made a wild change in his life moving across the country for a new job in the middle of a global pandemic! On top of that, he started his career living in Iowa and in September will be moving to California, a huge change.
My first family interview! Noah is a CPA and former financial advisor who started his own business after a year of working after college. His passion has always been finance, so this year he started an informational blog covering a variety of topics from budgeting to investing.
A major catalyst for the quarter-life crisis is bad leadership. A lot of good employees begin to second guess their career path because the person above them is stunting their growth (even if its on accident). So a lot of people end up leaving their company when really they should be staying and thriving. The Farm Gate Model explains why this is happening!
Myles and Bradley are the co-founders of Jensen & Jensen a digital content consultancy and at just 25 years old this is beyond impressive. We talk about how it took them several ventures and companies to finally arrive at their current agency and you can just hear their passion in their voices.
The first book I read in 2020 is the one I use most frequently in my day to day life. The premise is designing an elite performer's morning routine, but there were a few other great takeaways as well!
Dustin is an Occupational Therapist who went to school in New York and moved across the country to Arizona. Right now Dustin is getting promoted to a leadership role at work and will be getting his own apartment to live alone in AZ. Very relatable time in his life!
2020 has been a year of personal growth for me, and I challenged myself to read and learn more. BUT, recently I have thought about how much knowledge I have actually retained. And that is where the Cone of Learning comes in!
Joe is a good friend of mine from college who I traveled with to Australia and Thailand. We talk about him taking a massive risk by leaving GM and going to a smaller company in RPM. He is a great resource for personal development and it was awesome catching up!
I quit my job...well sort of. Over these last 6 months I have learned a lot about myself and what I enjoy when it comes to working each day. I love to build things, solve problems, and and create something from the ground up. And that is what I get to do in my new role within my company.
Also I take some time to explain Bobby Bonilla Day and how it can affect you and your life's decisions!
Jorge grew up in Miami and then proceeded to move to Atlanta, Chicago and Detroit. Getting immersed in different cultures and experiencing different cities made Jorge a great person to interview!
What an awesome interview! I got to speak with Claudia about her path to her dream job, finding work that you love and joking around about her being LinkedIn famous.
Keith is an educator in the Baltimore area and we talk about the current state of the world and what we can do to impact the children growing up in it.
Alex started his own business after a couple of years in traditional work which we dive into. Equally as important, we talk about his passion of photography and his traveling around the world.
I wanted to take some time to talk about what I have accomplished so far this year and what I have learned from books I have read in 2020. This one is titled Blackjack because of the number "21". I am feeling lucky in these weird times.
Eric is the lead journalist for US Olympic Wrestling and we talk about how he arrived there from being in construction 7 years earlier. He has some amazing goal setting takeaways and is the perfect example of how working hard in something you are passionate about can lead to a full-time career.
Was so happy to talk to Hailey about her professional experience post college and then we got into what it means to be an Ally and how you can truly make a difference.
I got to spend some time with Aaron Coney the founder of Hustle Matters and we talk about his journey moving from Michigan to California and building a company from the ground up.
One of the most relevant emotions out there right now is nostalgia. Whether you long for being able to golf and go to the bar again or are like me and often reminiscing about how things "used to be" nostalgia can either be a major asset or a major liability to you. I did my research on this so hopefully it helps if you are feeling it too!
One of the most enjoyable things I have been able to do in a long time was meet with 10-15 college students and speak with them on a professional level for life after college. Thanks again and I hope to do stuff like this in the future!
Flying solo today, I wanted to share my favorite findings of this whole Quarter-Life Crisis business. This is a condensed summary of Daniel Pink's 2009 Ted Talk around the Puzzle of Motivation. I feel like its more the puzzle of happiness at work. Enjoy!
Chris and I get a little vulnerable to talk about mental health and specifically anxiety while going through our Quarter-Life Crisis. If you have some weird emotions or feelings you are not used to at this stage of your life, give this a listen, we hope it helps!
Very excited to share our first remote interview, and couldn't have picked a better person. Adam Dietz is the co-host of Home Impodcast and an aspiring writer. We talk about having hobbies outside of your main job and specifically how Adam wants to one day be a full time television show writer. Enjoy!
After last night's virtual house crawl I had with my friends, I wanted to get out and challenge everyone to stay connected with their loved ones and use this time away from normal life to better themselves, giving examples of a few apps you can use.
The world is about to get real weird with Covid-19, so use this time distanced away from everyone to acquire some tastes and chase your passions.
At the end of my grandpa's life he called me and left me with a quote. "If you want to buy something, buy it. If you want to do something, do it. If you want to go somewhere, go. Life is too short." -- Oompa
I have been out all week with a sickness, but I pull it all together to interview my 8 year old nephew.
If you feel "stuck" in your current work role or are not feeling happy or fulfilled...please listen to this.
My hilarious attempt at a podcast this weekend. 9 minutes of content recorded, 4 minutes of usable audio available...this one was interesting. I tell a story about my weekend in Sedona and taking things in with your eyeballs instead of your iphones.
I re-record 3 times, talk about a few pieces from the book "5 AM Club" by Robin Sharma, and my dog makes an appearance.
I have Sean Stemas on the podcast to review the Waste Management Open in Scottsdale, AZ. He talks about his quarter-life crisis and we give our takes on the Superbowl.
I give my thoughts on the passing of Kobe Bryant and break down The Mamba Mentality. RIP Kobe.
3 weeks in I hit a wall, go on a White Claw Bar Crawl, go off the wagon with my lifestyle changes, and talk about Tony Hawk.
Second podcast of the year is now out! I talk about my parents selling our childhood home and give my opinion on the British Royal Family.
The Sunday Scaries...everyone in their 20's knows the feeling. What I didn't know was that it would continue into my late 20's and cross into my 30's. Enjoy the first episode, I start a beef with some birds and record the podcast twice.
Here is the article I referenced about New Year's Resolutions: https://valley-of-the-sun.com/new-year-same-quarter-life-crisis/
Episode 1: Why I decided to move across the country, start a blog and record a podcast.