Uncage Yourself: Recent Episodes
Matt Doan
Uncage Yourself explores how to build a career and life on your terms.
Many people are trapped in the Corporate Cage — a dangerous position where work dominates their days and personal lives. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can direct your corporate experience and unlock a life of freedom, right where you are.
This show is about your transformation: from Caged to Uncaged. Your host, Matt Doan, brings forward the guests, stories, strategies, and tactics to make it happen.
Feeling trapped by corporate "success"? This episode explores balancing professional achievement with personal fulfillment.
Discover practical strategies for transitioning to entrepreneurship without risking your family's stability. Learn to leverage your skills and methodically build an online business aligned with your values.
Listen now for a step-by-step process to break free from the corporate mold and gain actionable insights toward true professional autonomy and personal happiness.
👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training)
🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
From guilt-ridden corporate exec to adventurous entrepreneur. Here's a story about my journey to heal my family.
I'll reveal how graduating corporate life for entrepreneurship led to Greek island dreams.
Learn why showing my kids a life of freedom mattered more than any gift I could buy. Battling "dad guilt"? Discover how I turned regret into inspiration through bold choices.
Listen to learn how redefining success brought my family closer and ignited their dreams.
👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training)
🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
“We are all living in cages with the door wide open.”— George Lucas
In this episode, we're looking at the 15 invisible shackles binding you to a golden 9-5 prison.
Let's be real: you're your own worst enemy. So let's break those shackles.
👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training)
🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Shatter the belief that you have "nothing special to offer."
Uncover the unique genius hiding in your average-looking corporate history.
Learn to transform your experiences into a business that energizes you and uniquely serves others.
Here, we'll explore how to find your "magnetic match" and build a thriving, purpose-driven business.
Entrepreneurial freedom is closer than you think.
👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training)
🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
You want faster progress toward big goals: graduating corporate, building wealth, creating your dream lifestyle.
But invisible friction is destroying your momentum.
Keep reading to identify and annihilate this stealth force that's stealing your speed — so you rapidly manifest your ambitious vision.
👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training)
🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Our natural inclination is that freedom and happiness come later — after we put in significant work.
But what if the opposite were true?
This strategy will radically accelerate your path to entrepreneurial freedom.
👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training)
🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Self-sabotage is the primary reason we remain trapped in our (often self-created) cages.
And it's what prevents many from shifting from corporate to entrepreneurship.
In this episode, we cover the top 11 dream killers to avoid. Enjoy!
👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training)
🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Your resume: a cage or a key?
Roles, skills, and experiences can entrap us if we let them.
Here, we discuss a counterintuitive shift that allows you to finally view your resume, not as a qualifier, but as a launchpad to a life of freedom, impact, and fulfillment.
👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training)
🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Our shadows last a lifetime for our kids and loved ones.
Nonstop career hustling puts food on the table, but it doesn't instill values we're proud of.
It's time we walk our talk and embody our true values, so they grow up with healthy behaviors.
Remember, they're always watching.
👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training)
🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Feeling caged in corporate life?
Passive income isn't the ticket out. To escape the maze, you need to take an active approach.
Build your freedom vehicle.
Learn exactly how to leverage your current positioning, unlock your inner genius, and create an online business that provides true lifestyle freedom.
Stop trading time for money. Discover how to live a self-directed life by monetizing your purpose.
👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training)
🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Safety. Freedom. Which will you pursue?
There's obviously a balance to strike.
But if you're "done" with corporate life, you don't want to miss this life-changing perspective.
👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training)
🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
I’ve been on this entrepreneurial journey for nearly a decade and have been out of corporate for the last two years.
Here, I’m sharing my top 12 lessons learned in shifting from corporate to entrepreneurship.
👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training)
🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
You've given a lot to your corporate career. Now that you've got a foundation, it's time to change the rules.
The job is no longer an asset to be coveted. YOU are the asset. Direct all energy to building your future self.
Learn how to make your employer your personal investor.
👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training)
🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Call
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
So much of our pain comes from holding on to what no longer serves us: identities, jobs, relationships, etc.
“Letting go” is the key. But it's not just a concept.
It's a powerful life skill that shortcuts your path to your dreams — collapsing timelines from decades into days.
👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training)
🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Call
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
You've made logical bets your whole life.
That served you well with career "success" and building a lifestyle foundation.
But that time is over. "Logic" means you're just playing the odds while denying your highest self and true aspirations. It eats away at your soul.
Ready to activate entrepreneurial freedom and do what lights you up? That means you need to finally choose your genius.
👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training)
🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Call
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
The key to entrepreneurial success is magnetism.
You want a Magnetic Match between your business and the person (problem) you aim to serve.
The business and client should feel a two-way connection — on both emotional and logical levels.
Without magnetism, your business becomes a commodity.
With magnetism, clients perceive you as "1 of 1."
Listen to learn how to find your Magnetic Match.
👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training)
🗓️ Book your breakthrough call
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
I’ve grown more in the last 2 years than in the previous 20.
This includes:
- The growing pains of starting a business
- Constant experimentation to be of service
- Investing in my own growth at profound levels
From a personal and professional viewpoint, I now have crystal clarity on my purpose and transformational value for others.
And with that, I’m bursting at the seams with insights and strategies I’m ready to share with you.
That’s what I’m bubbling over with excitement as I prepare for the imminent launch of Uncaged 2.0.
This means I’m rolling out massive upgrades to my two coaching programs that are actively transforming dozens of lives at any moment.
If you’re ready to “graduate” corporate, listen closely.
👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training)
🗓️ Book your breakthrough call
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Act like average people and you'll get average results.
Like Einstein, we need to reimagine "time." And in tandem, we need to redefine "work."
This is how we achieve more impact (professional and personal) with far less effort.
Whether you're still in corporate or you're already on your own, this episode presents a critical mental shift you need to hear.
Learn the art of the "double count." Install this time system immediately.
👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training)
🗓️ Book your breakthrough call
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Is your career stuck on an Incremental path?
Salary bumps can't keep pace with inflation...let alone your dreams.
It's time to make the hyper-jump to an Exponential Career.
Learn to:
- Minimize time at your job
- Use it to fund a new leveraged business
- Create exponential gains in your lifestyle
Break free from the corporate hamster wheel. Create the freedom, fulfillment, and financial abundance you desire.
It’s not overnight or easy. But with concentrated effort, you can transition to working on your own terms.
So, will you continue the rat race? Or boldly step into an Exponential Career and life? The choice is yours.
👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training)
🗓️ Book your breakthrough call
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Far too many professionals conform to one-size-fits-all corporate success criteria. This stifles their natural gifts.
Though they deliver results and earn good money, they feel dead inside as their genius gets suppressed.
The solution is to harness your Zone of Genius (ZoG) — the intersection of your:
- Talents
- Interests
- Perspectives
Centralize and lead from your ZoG. Make it the hub of everything.
Stop conforming and gap-filling weaknesses. Start expressing your superpowers.
This unlocks freedom, income, and impact.
You have a choice:
- Squander your talents fitting molds
- Centralize your genius and come alive
The key is identifying and then centrally expressing your unique genius, both in corporate and entrepreneurial ventures.
It's time to unlock your full career potential and a bigger life.
👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training)
🗓️ Book your breakthrough call
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
If the corporate grind has worn you down, there's another path to freedom in the new year:
- Rapidly re-engineer your job to buy back time (keeping income and family safe)
- Invest in mentors to experiment with opportunities and take daily action toward your dream
- Build a scalable online business aligned with your superpowers
The right system helps you leverage your corporate past to aggressively create the entrepreneurial freedom you and your family deserve.
Don't cling to familiarity and fear — craft your next chapter now.
👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training)
🗓️ Book your breakthrough call
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
I was raised to put faith in external systems: religion, school, and corporate systems.
And while external systems gave me some value and perspective, I eventually became empty inside. I lacked faith in my inner wisdom and potential.
Life skyrocketed when I learned to turn my faith inward.
New creative energies awakened, and a brand new life of freedom opened up.
👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training)
🗓️ Book your breakthrough call
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
"Burn mental boats before real ones."
Just one of my 11 reflections since ditching the corporate ladder one-and-a-half years ago. If you have big life responsibilities yet dream of entrepreneurial freedom, you need to listen to this episode.
👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training)
🗓️ Book your breakthrough call
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Do you feel a gnawing professional hole in your heart?
Your career once filled you up, but now you're trapped and making no impact.
You might've tried the "freedom through passive income" route, but it's not truly passive and it felt like a second job.
So, the professional hole remains. Darkness floods your days.
It's time to:
- Cultivate your passion
- Identify your superpowers
- Start a business that fully expresses YOU
Something you own (and love) needs to be part of your professional portfolio.
You don't need to escape corporate — make it an investor in this critical new venture.
Stop feeling trapped and start making your maximum impact with a business you love.
👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training)
🗓️ Book your breakthrough call
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Intro
(01:44) Empty feeling inside
(02:37) We need professional fire
(04:39) The portfolio career
(05:56) Passive income delusions
(07:47) Darkness expands
(08:20) Heart > Head
(10:17) Re-allocate your portfolio
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
You've reached a point where you feel unfulfilled in your corporate career. Now you crave meaning, impact, and entrepreneurial freedom.
But you're stuck on the starting line, paralyzed by overanalysis.
We can't wait for inspiration, passion, or confidence.
It's time to get moving — to start building a business we own. Let's discuss how.
👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training)
🗓️ Book your breakthrough call
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Intro
(02:24) Stuck on the starting line
(03:38) No more long-term choices
(04:37) Analysis paralysis
(05:26) Don't follow passion
(08:18) The point of the game
(08:35) Tactics for building
(11:29) Commitment → confidence
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Don’t craft a personal brand. Don’t “find your niche.”
Instead, design your personal category (hint: this is a psychology game).
This is the place where you build your future. It’s where you build a “1 of 1” business where you’re authentic and bold.
Here, you offer a unique transformation for those you aim to serve. In turn, you unlock massive freedom, income, and impact.
👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training)
🗓️ Book your breakthrough call
🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Intro
(02:45) The modern factory life
(04:17) No one cares about you
(05:52) The anti-personal brand
(08:17) Frame, name, & claim
(09:20) Matt's personal category
(11:54) Problems w/ brands & niches
(14:00) Personal category components
(15:09) Category = personal freedom
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
I view myself as my greatest asset, so I invest accordingly. That translates to $35K alone this year for coaching and masterminds.
I just returned from my latest event, where I met with entrepreneurs who were having million-dollar months — doing work they love and saving lives. Yes, you read that correctly.
In this episode, I'm sharing my top mastermind insights that you can apply immediately. You're welcome.
👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (training video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Intro
(02:24) Mastermind context
(03:18) The path forward
(08:51) Tuning your frequency
(15:06) The CEO mindset
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
In this episode, Matt Doan guests on The Dad Edge podcast.
Mattatt discusses his journey as a business owner and the freedom it has brought him. He talks about his blended family, with three older children from a previous marriage and a two-year-old with his current wife. Matt also shares his joy in coaching baseball and the intensity of eleven-year-old players. He then delves into the life lessons he wants to pass down to his children, both boys and girls.
He highlights the significance of understanding that femininity does not equate to being female. Instead, he emphasizes the hidden feminine energy that exists within all individuals. This energy includes qualities such as empathy, vulnerability, and emotional expression. Matt believes that society often teaches boys to suppress these traits, but by embracing them, they can become more well-rounded individuals.
His approach to parenting is about finding a balance between masculine and feminine energies. He wants his children, regardless of gender, to feel that they have access to all the qualities and strengths associated with both sides. By doing so, he believes they can lead fulfilling and authentic lives.
This Dad Edge episode demonstrates the negative impact of corporate life on happiness and well-being. Matt’s experience of feeling trapped, unfulfilled, and disconnected from their values and priorities is relatable to many individuals in similar positions. The pressure to maintain a certain lifestyle, the demands of work, and the sacrifices made for career advancement all contribute to diminishing happiness.
Takeaways:
- Balance work and personal life
- Reinventing corporate life for fulfillment
- Follow your passions for success
👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (training video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Your career path might've once brought you joy. But now, you're freaking outside because you can't stand it.
Here, we cover:
- The psychology of feeling "done"
- 3 key strategies for building your next chapter
👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (training video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
It’s been a wild ride since starting Uncage Yourself in 2021. Upon reaching the 100th episode, I’m sharing my honest reflections on:
- Why I started a podcast
- The emotional highs and lows
- How it supports my core business
- The show’s future
- 7 entrepreneurial lessons you can apply now
I hold nothing back in this episode. I hope it helps.
👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (training video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
This episode features Matt guesting on Christopher Nelson's show, Tech Careers & Money Talk. We cover:
- Upsides of growing up in corporate
- How to creatively navigate the inevitable downsides (once you're "successful")
- How to leverage your corporate career for your next chapter (entrepreneurial freedom)
👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (training video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Adam Coelho (host of the Mindful FIRE podcast) joins me to discuss the unique intersection of mindfulness and financial independence. We discuss how we can make work optional and accelerate the manifestation of a life we love. Enjoy!
👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (video training)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Get Adam's Envisioning Guide
Connect w/ Adam on LinkedIn
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
We mistakenly believe that adding more "features" to our lives creates more freedom — more money, a better job, or a stronger network. And while those elements can help, almost everyone misses the foundational step for creating personal freedom.
👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (5-min video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
"Passive income" is not the holy grail you think it is. In fact, it can lead you down a dangerous path. But if you crave real career and lifestyle freedom, we unpack a much more effective and efficient strategy in this episode.
👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (5-min video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Want to build the next chapter of your career and life? Don’t skip this critical step: put your corporate job on autopilot.
Free up significant time and energy to breathe, be, and build something new. All the while, keep your paycheck as a short-term asset. Listen closely to learn how.
👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (5-min video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
“Employee” is an outdated concept. (Literally, a relic of the Industrial Age.) Learn how power is shifting from employer to employee, and how this completely changes your work and life options.
👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (5-min video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Did your corporate career start with a bang? But soon enough, the flame died out. Now you're left wondering, "Is this all there is?"
Here's where you take elite action. Don't just carry on, and don't rage quit either. Instead, use your corporate career as a launchpad to freedom.
In this episode, you'll learn to:
- Harness your corporate gains
- Create an entrepreneurial future
- Do this in service of a life you love
👉 How to escape the Corporate Cage (8-min video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Watch the show on YouTube
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Most people treat their careers as one-lane highways (staying in “employee” mode for 40+ years). Staying locked into this traffic pattern means leaving tons of freedom on the table.
So, build an offramp. Give your future self a gift: an optional exit off that mind-numbing highway. This episode discusses the 16 lessons I’d give to my past self for accelerating the shift from corporate to entrepreneurship.
👉 How to escape the Corporate Cage (8-min video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Watch the show on YouTube
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
The trading life nearly destroyed Mike Gardon. Since stepping away, he’s obsessed with creating “life options.” At the core is the idea of “investment in loss”: to make significant changes, we often need to step backward. Today, his mission is to “break our mental constructs for what it means to make a living.” Enjoy!
👉 Training: escape the Corporate Cage
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Intro02:17 Ironman mentality
(06:37) Compounding personal gains
(09:48) Stratify your goals
(12:31) Mike’s childhood → career start
(17:56) Rebelling against the default path
(20:06) Investment in loss
(23:31) Portfolio mindset
(25:34) Passion for career coaching
(27:50) Mike helping his former self
(33:47) Involving your family in major change
(34:52) Risk mindset for personal growth
(37:00) “Is what you’re pursuing big enough?”
(40:02) Life options
(41:50) Skin in the game
(47:03) Money, time, & energy
(52:30) Uncaged = ownership
TAKEAWAYS
-
Pushing yourself with a new venture is not just about the accomplishment. It’s the person you become in the process.
-
“What’s your Ironman race?” Find the near-term thing in your life that forces your growth.
-
The entrepreneurial journey starts with a flicker inside you (an inclination) before you take tangible action.
-
The ultimate safety isn’t choosing the “right” path; it’s creating life options.
-
Portfolio mindset: make multiple concurrent bets and see what sticks. Even with the “failures,” you’ll grow tremendously.
-
Slow down (even step back) to speed up.
-
In managing the risk of major life decisions, too many remain stuck protecting what they have instead of pursuing what’s possible.
-
“Don’t tell me what you think, [show me] your portfolio.” —Nassim Nicholas Taleb
-
“Every decision is an investment decision.” You must devote appropriate money, time, and energy to the transformation you seek.
-
Choose yourself.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Mike on LinkedIn
The Break Podcast
The Break Newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @Uncaged_Matt
Check the show on YouTube
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Taylor and Tori, the dynamic hosts of the Corporate Sellouts podcast, join Matt to share an enlightening view of how Millennial females experience the post-COVID corporate world.
They discuss what it means to be a corporate sellout, how to get the most gain for the least pain in corporate life, and how ambitious individuals can pursue their entrepreneurial dreams while navigating a day job.
Prepare for a candid and empowering exploration of the corporate landscape, where we uncover hidden opportunities to find freedom and fulfillment in your professional journey.
👉 Training: escape the Corporate Cage
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Intro
(03:08) What is a “Corporate Sellout”?
(06:05) “Transactional” is not a dirty word
(11:35) Post-COVID corporate life challenges
(16:52) Configuring work to your life needs
(18:40) How Gen Z is shaking up work norms
(21:10) Industrial-era mentality is disintegrating
(23:46) Female perspective on work-life balance
(28:15) Clarify expected outcomes at work
(32:22) Challenge: buy back your time
(35:47) Kickstarting entrepreneurship with a 9-5
(40:47) Corporate: venture capitalist for your life
(44:18) Entrepreneurship transforms us as people
(45:06) What it means to live Uncaged
TAKEAWAYS
- Maintaining a transactional mindset in the workplace is a massive unlock for winning back time and energy from corporate to live a fuller life
- Return-to-office efforts are an opportunity to evaluate your employer and assert your life preferences (set your business case)
- Gen Z is challenging traditional workplace norms and advocating for a life-first approach.
- We need to consider gender dynamics at home when seeking “balance” (outsourcing tasks can help regain mental peace and capacity)
- If you’re stressed and burned out, can you afford NOT to buy back your time and energy?
- View your corporate job as an investor in your future self (and business)
- Small, concentrated entrepreneurial efforts can transform your entire career trajectory (and life)
RESOURCES
Corporate Sellouts Podcast
Corporate Sellouts Instagram
Taylor's TikTok
Tori's TikTok
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Corporate burnout isn't actually about being exhausted and working too many hours. Instead, it's about something deeper and more consequential to your life. We pull back the curtain in this episode. Wake up, my friend.
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Intro
(02:17) What burnout is
(04:34) Why we burn out
(10:06) The REAL costs of burnout
👉 How to escape the Corporate Cage (8-min video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
The Rat Race is an endless, "hamster wheel" approach to ensuring your relevance in this world — and It's completely unwinnable. If you believe you have no choice whether to run this race, you're wrong. This episode breaks down proven strategies for breaking free of the Rat Race and creating real autonomy in your career and life.
👉 How to escape the Corporate Cage (8-min video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
Sad truth: most people fight for their limitations, not their dreams. Right now, you're tolerating a lot of BS in your work and home lives, which is killing your growth. This gut-punch coaching episode is designed to unlock you from all you're tolerating.
👉 How to escape the Corporate Cage (8-min video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
When a job dominates your life, most people either endure it or leave. Unfortunately, both choices are costly forms of quitting.
Instead, I want you to take intelligent action within your environment. Reclaim your precious time and energy, reshape your role to suit your advantages, and start living a self-directed life (yes, even within the corporate world).
Do this by implementing "corporate countermeasures" — proven tactics that'll create freedom for you within the work environment. From there, you'll have the capacity to build a side business, get healthy, and be there for loved ones. Enjoy this highly actionable episode!
👉 How to escape the Corporate Cage (8-min video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
Why are we so slow or ineffective at pursuing our goals? Despite our best-laid plans, we get stuck. The problem is that we lack daily "activation." Learn how to inject the missing ingredient in this episode.
👉 How to escape the Corporate Cage (8-min video)
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
Paul Millerd, author of The Pathless Path, joins me to talk about "default path" addiction and what it's like to awaken. As former management consultants, we dig hard into this arena too. Enjoy!
👉 Masterclass: escape the Corporate Cage
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
03:12 The Great Contemplation
06:21 How Paul's book affected Matt
08:25 The process of Awakening
09:51 Pre-awakening (most people trapped here)
15:58 Addiction to Default Paths
19:03 Value of an early-career foothold
21:56 "There's a pebble in my shoe"
23:51 Higher stakes if you're a parent
27:10 Understanding life tradeoffs
28:28 The Pathless Path
31:21 Uncertainty as a feature
33:10 Testing boundaries at work
38:31 The great work of your life
41:15 Minimal risk in betting on yourself
44:21 Thoughtful re-entry into corporate life
51:20 Rapid-fire
57:53 What's your "work" story?
TAKEAWAYS
-
Great Resignation might actually be the Great Contemplation: a rejection of scripted life, healthier conversation about our identification as "workers," and a desire to take control of your life.
-
Rule of thumb: most people you'll meet are asleep (80%), some are groggy (15%), and a few are truly awake (5%).
-
The Protestant Reformation triggered an "obsession" with work, which has taken global hold.
-
Aim of life for people came to find work and then hold on tight to that path.
-
The Default Path feels addictive because the start is so thrilling. Eventually, we stop growing and become sleepy.
-
Instead of doing the work, you eventually find yourself doing performative work (pretending to be valuable).
-
Tough for parents to fake it at work while simultaneously encouraging your kids to blaze their own path.
-
We can't let sunk costs weigh us down. Your life season hugely impacts what you should say "yes" to next.
-
Not knowing what comes next might actually be a feature, not a bug.
-
"If there are clear boundaries [at work], there is also great freedom to adapt and imagine within those lines. These boundaries, however, should always be tested to see if they are actually still real. It takes conscious acts by individuals to test these edges." —David Whyte
-
Great work of your life: continually find the great work of your life (Stephen Cope).
-
Know yourself: deliver targeted value inside your 9-5; push yourself for exponential growth in the outside world.
RESOURCES
The Pathless Path (book)
Paul's newsletter, site, & podcast
Follow Paul on Twitter
Connect w/ Paul on LinkedIn
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
You want “real” results — proof that your professional or personal transformation efforts are working. But sometimes, nothing appears to be happening. In this case, you must measure differently. You need to embrace the idea of Invisible Progress. Learn how in this episode!
👉 Masterclass: escape the Corporate Cage
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
Everything in life is a game — professionally and personally. The trick is to know which games are worth playing and for how long. (Prime example: corporate promotion game.) Join us for the "how to" of playing the right games...so you no longer have to play them at all.
👉 Masterclass: escape the Corporate Cage
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
Ever wish you could be "free" while keeping your corporate paycheck? Totally possible. The key is "doing corporate detached." Learn exactly how in this high-value, actionable episode.
👉 Masterclass: keep your paycheck & love your life
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
Don't foolishly chase entrepreneurship as an escape from a miserable corporate life. You can have the stability of a 9-5 plus the prosperity of entrepreneurship, all in service of a lifestyle that makes you feel alive. Learn how through Hybrid Entrepreneurship.
👉 Masterclass: keep your paycheck & love your life
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
Humans are wired for personal gain. Naturally, we want an incentive (reward) for saying “yes” to a request for our time. Incentives are all around you at work. And if you master this game (for yourself and your colleagues), you’ll earn far more money and reclaim your precious time. Learn how in this episode!
👉 Masterclass: end burnout & own your time
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
If you’re not happy with your Current Self, you must blast through the gravitational pull that’s keeping you (comfortably) in place. That’s how you become your badass Future Self. And that self-transformation requires Escape Velocity. Let's discuss how to create it.
👉 Masterclass: end burnout & own your time
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
Most people swear by "low-risk" investments (financially and otherwise). But those low-risk investments can turn into high-risk life situations. Stop playing it safe. Please, don't "401k" your life away. In this episode, learn exactly what this means and how to create an anti-401k life.
👉 Masterclass: end burnout & own your time
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
How do you compress your personal growth from decades into days? Apply the "amp it up" philosophy: increase the tempo, raise the standards, and narrow the focus. Learn exactly how in this episode.
👉 Masterclass: end burnout & own your time
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
Got some fantastic career and life goals floating through your head? Wondering why they're taking so long to become a "reality"? It's because you're in your own way, focusing on noise that doesn't matter. Let's fix that.
👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
We always hear about the power of gratitude — but that has to do with being grateful for what you currently have. Some of history's most successful people take this to the next level: being grateful in advance. And the scientist backs this up. Listen closely!
👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
Contrary to popular belief, it's good to be ignorant. You only have so much capacity in your mind, so you need to be hyper-selective about what gets into your head. In this episode, I cover a critical life skill: strategic ignorance. And I share my strategies for how I apply this idea, professionally and personally.
👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
You don’t have to “endure” or “pay your dues” at your 9-5. You can create freedom right here, right now — converting your day job into a utility. You can configure your experience for more time, autonomy, and income. And this can all be in service of the badass life you dream for your Future Self.
👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Episode 64: Convert Your Job Into a Utility
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
Invisible scripts run your life. That’s a tough pill to swallow. But it's true — they’ve owned you forever. No more. It’s time you shine a light on them, break free of limiting beliefs, and embrace your actual potential.
Or you could stay comfortably stuck…your choice.
👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Episode 53: Paul Millerd - Awakening From the Default Path
Episode 62: You Need Skin in the Game
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
My coaching clients are wildly successful by any traditional measure. The problem is they’ve got no room left in their cup for anything new — however much they might desire it. They’re always maxed out. The only way forward is addition by subtraction. Make this principle core to your career and life philosophy. By default, your cup should be more empty than full. Mind blown? Listen carefully.
👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
2022 was the year I left corporate. It was one hell of a ride — learning to be a full-time entrepreneur. Big-time highs...and lows. As I reflected upon year one, I landed on a surprising conclusion: entrepreneurship is brutal. But it's magically brutal, and I don't regret a second of it.
👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
I can confidently say that I've grown more in 12 months of entrepreneurship than I did in the last decade of corporate life. Professionally and personally, I'm a completely different person. So I took time to document those lessons, and now I'm passing them on to you. I hope they help. Cheers to a beautiful 2023!
👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
Some people are hellbent on finding a job that completely fulfills them. But that's often a fool's errand.
In truth, your job doesn't need to be dripping with purpose and meaning. Instead, you can think of your job as a utility — a resource that fuels your badass life. Dive into this episode to understand the simple shifts required.
👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Watch the show on YouTube
Billy Keels is one of the “awakened” ones. After years of undeniable success in the corporate world, he intentionally started leveraging those gains to fuel his bigger, more badass life. Now, as an entrepreneur, Billy helps highly-paid professionals take control of their lives and create wealth through cash-flowing, tax-efficient investments. He’s a fountain of actionable wisdom!
👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
02:48 Comparing U.S. & Europe
06:06 Importance of environment
09:18 The allure of default paths
11:23 Awakening
16:05 A fresh view on corporate life
19:55 Doing corporate on your terms
24:02 Outcomes over hours
27:20 Scratching that entrepreneurial itch
34:26 Failing forward
37:32 Rapid fire questions
TAKEAWAYS
-
Default paths can quickly become your identity. Therefore, we must consciously decouple from them.
-
What we’re surrounded by, we adopt.
-
Corporate life can be a great accelerator to your career, but we must control that ascent.
-
Don’t just plug into the corporate machine like everyone else. You can deliver results (more efficiently) on your terms.
-
No one really cares about your work hours, only the value you produce. So use that to your advantage.
-
Too many people are “theoretical ninjas” — passively consuming good information without implementing it.
-
Healthy person = healthy worker. Focus primarily on being the former; the latter is a byproduct.
-
“The next logical step” is often the most illogical thing to do.
-
“It’s not about the money. It’s about how you’re investing your time in the moments that matter the most.”
RESOURCES
How Highly-Paid Pros Can Pay Less Tax
Connect w/ Billy on LinkedIn
Going Long Podcast
First Generation Capital Partners
"Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Need a massive change in your career or life? Passively consuming social posts, books, or podcasts won’t do it. Human psychology shows we only take massive action when the stakes are high. You manufacture “high stakes” by putting serious Skin in the Game for your transformation: money, time, and energy. This one’s a serious wake-up call.
📬 Get the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Your job does not define you. While you might be “gifted” at certain aspects of work, your gifts run far deeper than that. Pay attention to those flickers of genius you experience from time to time — when you feel truly alive. Those are hints of what you’re truly meant to do on this planet. Don’t waste your gifts. Unleash them!
📬 Get the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
The trading life nearly destroyed Mike Gardon. Since stepping away, he’s obsessed with creating “life options.” At the core is the idea of “investment in loss”: to make significant changes, we often need to step backward. Today, his mission is to “break our mental constructs for what it means to make a living.” Enjoy!
📬 Get the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
02:17 Ironman mentality
06:37 Compounding personal gains
09:48 Stratify your goals
12:31 Mike’s childhood → career start
17:56 Rebelling against the default path
20:06 Investment in loss
23:31 Portfolio mindset
25:34 Passion for career coaching
27:50 Mike helping his former self
33:47 Involving your family in major change
34:52 Risk mindset for personal growth
37:00 “Is what you’re pursuing big enough?”
40:02 Life options
41:50 Skin in the game
47:03 Money, time, & energy
52:30 Uncaged = ownership
TAKEAWAYS
-
Pushing yourself with a new venture is not just about the accomplishment. It’s the person you become in the process.
-
“What’s your Ironman race?” Find the near-term thing in your life that forces your growth.
-
The entrepreneurial journey starts with a flicker inside you (an inclination) before you take tangible action.
-
The ultimate safety isn’t choosing the “right” path; it’s creating life options.
-
Portfolio mindset: make multiple concurrent bets and see what sticks. Even with the “failures,” you’ll grow tremendously.
-
Slow down (even step back) to speed up.
-
In managing the risk of major life decisions, too many remain stuck protecting what they have instead of pursuing what’s possible.
-
“Don’t tell me what you think, [show me] your portfolio.” —Nassim Nicholas Taleb
-
“Every decision is an investment decision.” You must devote appropriate money, time, and energy to the transformation you seek.
-
Choose yourself.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Mike on LinkedIn
Career Cloud Podcast
The Break Newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Today’s thoughts become tomorrow’s reality. And when you write down those thoughts, it’s a lightspeed jump into your better future. The lovely and super authentic Tara Horstmeyer joins me to talk about life-career seasons, LinkedIn mastery, and the power of “ghostwriting your own life.” Enjoy!
📬 Get the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
03:00 Words that penetrate the soul
05:20 Writing when the emotion is hot
09:18 Tara’s childhood influences
14:02 Empathetic languaging
16:06 Doing what lights you up
20:06 Words are the catalyst for change
22:36 “Everyone is a ghostwriter”
25:20 Shifting your focus: outward to inward
29:01 Personal brand = personal advantage
34:02 Embracing “life seasons”
40:38 Rapid-fire questions
TAKEAWAYS
-
Create a simple system for capturing your ideas when inspiration strikes.
-
Develop a method for fleshing out those idea “seedlings.”
-
When inspired, write with “editor” mode turned off (revisit with that lens later).
-
“Make sure you have something to say before you say it.”
-
Ghostwriting your own life is a process by which you find and build yourself.
-
You already have a personal brand (it’s your reputation). “Make it your business.”
-
You’re always juggling glass and rubber balls. If you drop the glass ones (e.g., family), they shatter.
-
If you’re speaking to everyone, you’re speaking to no one.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Tara on LinkedIn
Happy Words Sell (Tara's business)
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Tony Albrecht is one of my favorites. He’s a writer, podcaster, social entrepreneur, and student of the creative process. As the author of In The Creative Arena and co-founder of The Rowdy Creative, he works with people old enough to know they want a different trajectory and young and crazy enough to believe that big change is possible. His work is informed by his recovery from two afflictions, alcoholism and becoming a lawyer.
📬 Get the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
03:03 Powered by espresso
06:18 Chapters of Tony’s life
08:32 Creative awakening
12:07 Offscripting
13:41 How to be a “creative”
19:08 Gen Z is freeing older generations
23:49 Dying to feel alive
29:00 Plugging “back in” on your terms
32:02 Surrounding yourself with non-conformists
34:34 Battling Resistance
37:50 Spartan way: extreme discipline
40:56 Examples of discipline
44:20 “Creativity is life or death”
46:34 How our children grapple with the scripted life
48:17 Rapid-fire questions
53:49 Choices today raise your trajectory for tomorrow
TAKEAWAYS
-
The idea of creativity “isn’t just for the arts department…it’s how we make new stuff happen.”
-
View your engagement on social media as a forcing function for personal growth.
-
Oh, you’re scared? Evaluate the risks of doing versus not doing.
-
We must retool education: for leading and solving interesting problems (see Seth Godin’s “Stop Stealing Dreams”)
-
Make work happen: create the conditions to increase the likelihood that you’ll put your butt in the seat.
-
“Creativity is dirty work…It demands discipline.”
-
Relying on inspiration alone will not get you anywhere.
-
The scripted life we grew up with is quickly withering away.
-
Worst advice Tony received: “Law degrees are great because you can do so many things with them.”
-
“The small man builds cages for everyone he knows, while the sage, who has to duck his head when the moon is low, keeps dropping keys all night long for the beautiful, rowdy prisoners.” —Hafez
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Tony on LinkedIn
In The Creative Arena (Tony's book)
Tony's entrepreneurial efforts
The War of Art (book mentioned)
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
“Employee” is an outdated concept. (Literally, a relic of the Industrial Age.) Learn how power is shifting from employer to employee, and how this completely changes your work and life options.
📬 Get the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
02:12 The old employment agreement
04:04 No one wants a job, they want a life
04:39 RIP employee, welcome Uncaged Pro
06:14 Keeping your job — on your terms
07:37 Stability of the 9-5 + Prosperity of entrepreneurship
09:48 Your 9-5 can just be a utility
10:07 Validate that you’re in a healthy workplace
10:53 Clarify the life you want
11:54 Define what “work” means to you
12:49 Shape your corporate role
14:11 Build your external brand & side hustle
16:38 Framework summary
17:01 Working for great companies? Alive. Employee? Dead.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Paige West went “national” in sharing her Quiet Quitting story on CNN, Good Morning America, and elsewhere. Here, we go behind the scenes on what fueled her decisions while also comparing and contrasting Millennial and Gen Z worldviews in the workplace. So good — enjoy!
📬 Get the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
03:51 Doing the “inner” work
08:05 Paige’s formative years
12:16 Friction when weighing professional paths
16:47 Indicators that corporate wasn’t a fit
19:03 Keeping life options open
21:47 Hitting a breaking point
23:38 Applying the Quiet Quitting strategy
26:34 Did anything bad happen?
29:40 Fake “pressures” at work
30:51 Millennial vs. Gen Z values at work
36:45 Power of vulnerability on the job
39:01 Benefits of the corporate journey
42:57 Rapid-fire questions
48:44 Identity is a choice, reinforced by tiny actions
51:24 Keys to uncaging yourself
TAKEAWAYS
-
Inner work is meant to get your inner and outer worlds to align.
-
Externalizing your thoughts sharpens and clarifies your thinking.
-
Learn from PAST regrets, ANTICIPATE future regrets, use that information NOW.
-
Be careful when corporate systems have rigid growth models — hard to be authentic.
-
Irony of Quiet Quitting for Paige: her reputation improved at work.
-
Ruthlessly protecting your time and being selective at work is good for you and your company.
-
Gen Z grew up in an era of publishing your emotions, and that’s showing up in corporate environments now.
-
Invest (in yourself) before you’re ready — time and money.
RESOURCES
Subscribe to Paige's YouTube channel
Follow Paige on Instagram
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
When you take extreme ownership of your career and life, magical things happen. Remember, you care more about your life and career than anyone else. Author and speaker Andy Storch joins us for a masterclass on listening to your inner voice and taking full ownership of your career and life.
📬 Get the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
02:35 Andy’s evolving definition of success
04:50 Dependency on external circumstances
08:10 Andy’s childhood & backstory
12:27 Entering the corporate world
16:29 Accelerators for self-transformation
20:08 Ownership mindset (being entrepreneurial)
21:27 Drifting
26:42 Modern view on professional development
31:18 “I don’t have time”
32:31 Personal brand = reputation
39:26 Andy’s cancer battle
45:05 It happened for me, not to me
49:40 Rapid fire questions
54:49 It’s on you: extreme ownership
TAKEAWAYS
- Minimize the “I’ll be happy when” mentality; cultivate inner joy.
- Take a lesson from Stoicism: focus on what you can control.
- On paper, your life might look good. But you might actually feel dead inside. Signal for radical self-transformation.
- Find coaches, mentors, and resources that help you see new possibilities and co-design a better future (tailored for you).
- Many people are drifting through life — being reactive and adopting external definitions of success. Better way: live an intentional life.
- Substantive change is atomic: it’s both small and highly targeted for long-term impact.
- Your personal brand is “what people think and say about you when you’re not in the room.”
- Clarify what you want your brand to stand for (e.g., kindness, generosity)
- Attitude when hitting a major roadblock: “This is what I get to deal with.”
- We go through our life challenges so we’re qualified to help others.
RESOURCES
Own Your Career Own Your Life (Andy’s book)
Andy’s Site
Connect w/ Andy on LinkedIn
Owning Your Journey with Cancer (free guide)
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
You have gifts. But chances are, they're locked up inside of you. A 9-5 job only lets you unleash a fraction of those gifts. Dennis Geelen joins us to tell the story of The Accidental Solopreneur (his recent book). It's a fascinating look at unleashing your gifts and maximizing your potential.
Access the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Cohort course: Uncaged Academy
Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
03:12 What Dennis misses about corporate
06:28 Re-thinking the scripted life
10:50 Investing in your highest-leverage asset
13:31 Dennis's entrepreneurial experiments
18:52 Going from non-fiction to fiction author
21:30 The Accidental Solopreneur
23:31 Emotions of the entrepreneurial rollercoaster
26:12 Importance of niching down
32:18 Advice for starting a career today
35:06 Closing Message
TAKEAWAYS
-
"The amount of learning I had to do to get that company off the ground is more than I learned in my 20 years of corporate." — Dennis Geelen
-
In solopreneurship, you must first master the inner game to then win the outer game.
-
Nearly high-performer in corporate should try entrepreneurship (on the side at least). If you don't, you'll likely regret it.
-
Don't expect instant success. Embrace the journey — it's amazing if you allow it to be.
-
Make your main goal about helping others. Goodness will flow your way if you do that.
RESOURCES
The Accidental Solopreneur (book)
Connect w/ Dennis on LinkedIn
Dennis's website
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Paul Millerd, author of The Pathless Path, joins me to talk about "default path" addiction and what it's like to awaken. As former management consultants, we dig hard into this arena too. Enjoy!
Access the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets
Cohort course: Uncaged Academy
Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
03:12 The Great Contemplation
06:21 How Paul's book affected Matt
08:25 The process of Awakening
09:51 Pre-awakening (most people trapped here)
15:58 Addiction to Default Paths
19:03 Value of an early-career foothold
21:56 "There's a pebble in my shoe"
23:51 Higher stakes if you're a parent
27:10 Understanding life tradeoffs
28:28 The Pathless Path
31:21 Uncertainty as a feature
33:10 Testing boundaries at work
38:31 The great work of your life
41:15 Minimal risk in betting on yourself
44:21 Thoughtful re-entry into corporate life
51:20 Rapid-fire
57:53 What's your "work" story?
TAKEAWAYS
-
Great Resignation might actually be the Great Contemplation: a rejection of scripted life, healthier conversation about our identification as "workers," and a desire to take control of your life.
-
Rule of thumb: most people you'll meet are asleep (80%), some are groggy (15%), and a few are truly awake (5%).
-
The Protestant Reformation triggered an "obsession" with work, which has taken global hold.
-
Aim of life for people came to find work and then hold on tight to that path.
-
The Default Path feels addictive because the start is so thrilling. Eventually, we stop growing and become sleepy.
-
Instead of doing the work, you eventually find yourself doing performative work (pretending to be valuable).
-
Tough for parents to fake it at work while simultaneously encouraging your kids to blaze their own path.
-
We can't let sunk costs weigh us down. Your life season hugely impacts what you should say "yes" to next.
-
Not knowing what comes next might actually be a feature, not a bug.
-
"If there are clear boundaries [at work], there is also great freedom to adapt and imagine within those lines. These boundaries, however, should always be tested to see if they are actually still real. It takes conscious acts by individuals to test these edges." —David Whyte
-
Great work of your life: continually find the great work of your life (Stephen Cope).
-
Know yourself: deliver targeted value inside your 9-5; push yourself for exponential growth in the outside world.
RESOURCES
The Pathless Path (book)
Paul's newsletter, site, & podcast
Follow Paul on Twitter
Connect w/ Paul on LinkedIn
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
"Quiet quitting" may same new and shocking, but it's an age-old concept. It's about setting your terms at work and prioritizing your desired lifestyle. In this episode, we cut through the noise and discuss practical scenarios for implementing this strategy.
Develop advanced-level "quiet quitting" skills in our cohort course: Uncaged Academy.
Access the newsletter: learn Uncaged Secrets
Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
02:14 Framing
02:29 What Quiet Quitting is
03:41 The argument for it
06:59 The argument against it
09:46 Real-world scenarios
16:10 Healthy person → healthy worker
TAKEAWAYS
-
Quiet Quitting isn't about actually quitting or being lazy. We're not glamorizing mediocrity here.
-
At the core, it's about establishing boundaries at work, but you need a more comprehensive approach if you're going to create the life you want.
-
Not everyone wants to be an "elite athlete" at work, so we don't need to expect everyone to operate in an elite way. In contrast, choosing to be "average" at work can create capacity for spending time and energy on what excites you.
-
It generally makes sense to "go hard" early in your career to establish a foothold (resume, financial security, etc.). Once you're 10+ years in, you have much more leeway to back off and prioritize lifestyle.
-
Quiet Quitting (or whatever term you use) is another tool in your toolbox. Deploy it wisely as you methodically create more freedom in your life.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
"No regrets." You've seen it tattooed on arms and in song lyrics. Enough — let's stop trying to suppress this natural human emotion. Instead, let's learn to harness it for our advantage in work and life.
Apply the power of regret. See our cohort course: Uncaged Academy.
Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
02:15 Framing
02:36 How we view regret
04:47 Types of regret
09:33 A strategy for using regret
12:24 How Matt uses regret to his advantage
TAKEAWAYS
-
Per the American Regret Study, 82% of adults experience regret — spanning a wide range of domains of life (family, career, education, finances, health, etc.).
-
Four types of regrets: Foundation, Boldness, Moral, and Connection.
-
Why regret matters: stability, growth, goodness, love.
-
Regret is a valuable emotion — it's telling you something. Learn to harness it.
-
Strategy for harnessing it: (1) Learn from PAST regrets, (2) anticipate FUTURE regrets, (3) apply that knowledge in the PRESENT.
RESOURCES
Book: The Power of Regret (Daniel Pink)
Top 5 Regrets of the Dying (Bronnie Ware)
Go deep: try the Uncaged Secrets newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Think back to those one-way college lectures or those on-demand courses you've taken. Did you really transform as a person? No.
That's why I'm proud to introduce Uncaged Academy to you. It's an immersive, cohort-style approach to learning that focuses on community (friends), accountability, and rapid transformation. With our first cohort in the books, I'm excited to discuss the future of this unique program with you.
Make corporate work for YOU. Apply for our cohort course: Uncaged Academy.
Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TAKEAWAYS
-
The Education Technology (EdTech) realm is rapidly changing the modern learning experience.
-
You no longer need to give years of your life (or extreme amounts of money) to improve your mindset, skillset, or career trajectory.
-
Uncaged Academy helps you (a) design your 9-5 experience in a way that (b) unlocks the life you really want.
-
While still in corporate, you can create more freedom: Financial, Time, Purpose, Relationships, Health.
-
This course is for high-performing mid-career professionals who feel "stuck" and want something more out of their lives.
RESOURCES
Go deep: try the Uncaged Secrets newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
The universe is speaking: start your side hustle. Everyone's doing it, right? Actually, let's pause and rethink that.
Not everyone should ignite this "parallel path" outside of their corporate career. Listen to this episode to help you understand if side-hustling is right for you.
Make corporate work for YOU. Apply for our cohort course: Uncaged Academy.
Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TAKEAWAYS
-
Know the difference between "investments" and "side hustles."
-
Side-hustling requires you to adopt a business owner mindset.
-
Following your passion isn't what makes a side hustle effective.
-
You'd better make sure it gives you energy.
-
Shifts in the global economy make side-hustling a "high upside, low downside" bet if you play the long game.
RESOURCES
Go deep: try the Uncaged Secrets newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Look around and you'll see people chasing "in-demand" skills and credentials. It's like they're on a hamster wheel. But others seem calmer, in possession of enduring skills that always keep them ahead. This is the difference between Timely and Timeless skills. Which are you fixated on?
Make corporate work for YOU. Apply for our cohort course: Uncaged Academy.
Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TAKEAWAYS
-
Are you choosing to build skills that legitimately interest you? This matters if you want to maintain energy for decades.
-
Be clear on where the "crowd" is going. Go the opposite way.
-
Timely skills have a short shelf life (usually 2-4 years).
-
Timeless skills (e.g., psychology, persuasion, copywriting) endure no matter the time or context.
-
Build Timeless skills to ensure you're always ahead and relevant, even as our digital world rapidly changes.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Live Uncaged: try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Several years of being in corporate will teach you certain beliefs and worldviews about what a "successful" life looks like. We can't fall victim to these dangerous ideas. So, in this episode, we shed light on 7 brutal lies you're told about work. Enjoy.
Want to create Time Freedom at work? Here's your guide.
Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
02:26 We've all been conditioned
02:45 Shaping your role like an executive
04:43 How to handle nosy bosses
05:56 Dangers of single-source income
07:24 Paralyzed by corporate overlords
09:10 Monetizing your skills outside the 9-5
10:42 There is no "company time"
12:03 Sorry, you aren't special
TAKEAWAYS
-
Essential life skill: identifying and unlearning your fixed beliefs.
-
You must exert your agency at work. Set your terms and you'll learn what's possible.
-
Mange up by learning the values, incentives, and pains of those people senior to you.
-
Diversify and stack your income streams. Not only is it financially smart, but you'll grow by leaps and bounds.
-
You have a personal brand, whether you like it or not. Will you keep it small (caged)? Or go big?
-
Make yourself recession-proof by embracing and going all-in on your unique ability.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Live Uncaged: try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
I joined mental health expert Tim Perreira as a guest on his show, Tuesdays With Tim. This is a recast of that session. We cover why modern work makes us feel caged, plus some psychological and physical health strategies for taking control of your work situation (and life).
Want to create Time Freedom at work? Here's your guide.
Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
02:55 Thumbnail of Matt's life
04:55 Experiments with entrepreneurship
06:07 Should you leave corporate?
07:36 "Corporate Cage" defined
09:02 Root issue: externalizing control
11:03 4 phases to the Uncaged transformation
14:23 Step one: stop the bleeding
16:30 Unraveling destructive conditioning
19:45 Typical crappy answer to "what do you want?"
20:29 Indicators that you're caged
22:44 Inside-Out approach to life
24:25 Breaking free of "work = identity"
25:25 Your desires are not your own
27:36 Self-Realization Theory (to feel content)
28:39 Tearing down "authenticity"
31:00 Harsh awakening from autopilot
TAKEAWAYS
-
Leaving the 9-5 isn't for most people. Choose to create freedom right where you are.
-
Shape your day based on what energizes you. This action compounds into the life you want.
-
Work-life balance isn't a thing. Treat your existence as one harmonized life. Strive for alignment.
-
Most of our pain at work stems from optional stories in our heads that we subscribe to.
-
Imagine your 10X bigger life to leapfrog commonplace (2X) tactics to an incrementally better life.
-
"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." — Viktor Frankl
-
Continually externalize your life vision through writing and speaking. This action programs your subconscious. Your mind is always listening, so make sure it's firing and wiring together per your design.
-
Obsessed with external motivation? You're just a shell of your potential. Instead, live Inside-Out.
-
Control the inputs to direct your outputs.
-
You have all sorts of control you don't believe you have. Design forward, take aligned action.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Tim on LinkedIn
PER Wellness
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Live Uncaged: try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Kason Morris is a master of reinvention. He's already redesigned his career six times across five sectors, strategically leveling up his skills in the process. Kason has decades of experience as a learning and development executive in big tech while also serving as a career and lifestyle coach. Here, we talk about design thinking as a principle, the importance of self-reliance, and specific strategies for operating within corporate on your terms.
Want to create Time Freedom at work? Here's your guide.
Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
02:57 Career is a design problem
04:50 Kason's life phases & childhood influences
06:39 Building your experimental mindset
09:55 The most underrated life skill
12:03 Applying design thinking to pivot in life
15:07 Exerting your agency at work
20:55 Entrepreneurship while in your 9-5
24:50 Timely vs. timeless skills
29:21 Best & worst advice
33:46 One law for everyone to follow
34:44 If Kason was starting his career now
37:48 Closing message
TAKEAWAYS
-
Money, meaning, and expression are three levers for harmonizing work and life.
-
Take control of your work environment: influence with and without authority.
-
Build a portfolio career by diversifying your interests and experiences over time.
-
We must take agency in how we approach work and lifestyle.
-
Balance internal and external drivers to maximize your growth in the world.
-
Decipher your "work" and "life" views; strive to harmonize them as much as possible.
-
Approach work like a playground, not a ladder.
-
"Dream careers are not landed, they're created."
-
A single-lane road creates no life options.
-
Most (timely) skills employers are for will be half as impactful within 4 years. Get off the skill-building "treadmill" with timeless (power) skills.
-
"Learning how to learn" is life's meta-skill. Spend time finding your method for this.
-
Relationships are the greatest career (and life) accelerator. Go wide, stay curious.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Kason on LinkedIn
Live Uncaged: try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Explore transformational coaching w/ Matt
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
It’s easy to show up to a new role or company and wait for them to hand you work.
It’s hard to walk into an environment and shape your experience.
But it’s the latter approach that’s going to generate the most rewarding outcomes — for you and the organization. This episode lays out a strategy for creating your own Rules of Engagement, including my "top 5" battle-tested rules.
Weekly newsletter for Uncaging yourself: Wednesday Wisdom
Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TAKEAWAYS
-
Know yourself
-
Shape your role
-
Fixate on incentives and outcomes
-
Control high-energy zones
-
Establish bright lines
RESOURCES
Set up a discovery call for coaching with Matt
Live Uncaged: try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Work-Life Balance is BS. It's a misguided concept that leaves people with regret and untapped potential. Friend and fellow coach Paul Conley joins me to dive into this "balance" myth and other strategies that keep people from living their fullest lives.
Weekly newsletter for Uncaging yourself: Wednesday Wisdom
Show website: UncageYourself.FM
TIMESTAMPS
02:34 Paul's focus
05:22 The myth of Work-Life Balance
08:51 Should we seek meaning (purpose) at work?
12:17 The (anti?) benefits of fitting in
16:14 Choosing Our Work vs. Corporate Work
20:25 Implementing "life-first" tactics
31:14 Maximizing your time on Earth
TAKEAWAYS
-
When you put life ahead of work, everyone else improves.
-
Seek abundance, not balance.
-
Someone else's Plan A is inevitably your Plan B.
-
Authenticity strategy: emulate, don't imitate.
-
Life hack: have fun every day.
-
You have immense control over your 9-5 experience, but people rarely implement their own designs.
-
You can feel (be) free wherever you are. The choice is yours.
-
Be (the right type of) Selfish so that you may be Selfless.
-
Stop saying, "I don't have time." We all have the same 24 hours. Make better choices.
-
You deserve your dream life. It's not only possible; it's probable (with the right designs).
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Paul on LinkedIn
Paul's Life-Work Balance Podcast
Live Uncaged: try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Creativity isn't just some abstract topic for artists. Think beyond the "in-demand skills" of today and learn how to build creative muscles that unlock a better life for you. William Willis (aka The Prolific Creator) joins us to share his transformative story (flowing between big tech and a "creator" entrepreneur), plus enlightening tips for cultivating meaning and tangible rewards inside and outside of corporate.
Get your weekly dose for Uncaging yourself: try Wednesday Wisdom.
TIMESTAMPS
03:04 Impact of science fiction
07:22 Wrestling with a "successful" tech career
10:56 Personal learnings from experimentation
15:37 The anti-niche approach
19:42 Identifying your golden thread (EPIC)
23:45 Cultivating your scenius
32:56 Practical creativity for those feeling "caged"
37:10 How you're capping your potential
41:01 How William is methodically designing corporate re-entry
48:44 Rapid-fire questions
56:27 Every second counts
TAKEAWAYS
-
There's immense power in unbounded experimentation (with no fixation on outcomes).
-
Be EPIC: [E]xplore interests, observe [P]atterns, [I]dentify common threads, and [C]urate creations.
-
We’re all born to create. The question is, "what are we supposed to create?"
-
Curate your environment (including people) to level up to where you want to be.
-
We become conditioned to value professional effectiveness and efficiency.
-
You're capping your potential if you're not flexing your creative "play" muscles.
-
You are an autonomous being in your world. Don't let others have you believe otherwise.
-
Don't spend your entire life building someone else's dreams (the graveyard is the wealthiest place in the world).
-
All you have is this moment. Don't settle. What can you do right now?
-
"A small, caged life is no way for a human being to live."
RESOURCES
Check out William's site: The Prolific Creator
William's Substack newsletter
Connect w/ William on LinkedIn
Follow William on Twitter
Live Uncaged: try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
What are you optimizing for? In other words, what are you trying to generate more of in your life? Most people have superficial answers. But dig deep, and you'll find what they want: some version of freedom. This episode introduces a framework for creating freedom, professionally and personally.
Learn strategies and tactics for Uncaging yourself: try Wednesday Wisdom.
TIMESTAMPS
02:41 Freedom is a feeling
04:46 Intro to Freedom Framework
05:04 Time Freedom
06:52 Financial Freedom
08:25 Relationship Freedom
10:09 Purpose Freedom
11:00 Health Freedom
11:30 Putting it all together
TAKEAWAYS
-
Time Freedom: Conserve hours (and energy). Consciously direct those gains toward your chosen high-value activities (work and otherwise).
-
Financial Freedom: Maximize corporate utility for least effort. Diversify income streams. Systematically funnel gains toward wealth-generating assets.
-
Relationship Freedom: Graduate from “old you” relationships. Surround yourself with people and ideas that inspire, uplift, and scare you (shocking you out of your comfort zone).
-
Purpose Freedom: Cultivate “meaning” in your life in areas that resonate with you. It doesn’t have to be professional (e.g., might be parenting). Note: don’t expect corporate to deliver this for you.
-
Health Freedom: Ensure a healthy mind and body that keeps you high-functioning and energized for decades.
RESOURCES
Live Uncaged: try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Related episodes: Creating Time Freedom at Work (#38), Mastering the Bookends of Your Day (#40)
Do you believe in self-destiny? Well, then you'd better master your days. This is a practical and actionable episode focused on controlling the bookends of your day: morning and night. This is where you unlock freedom.
Learn strategies and tactics for Uncaging yourself. Try Wednesday Wisdom.
TIMESTAMPS
02:58 Why your bookends matter
04:18 Strategies for managing energy (not time)
10:51 Prioritize mornings or nights?
12:58 Morning rituals + deep work
15:03 Keeping corporate at bay
15:32 Graceful evenings
18:01 Closing your day
19:31 You can’t afford to push back
TAKEAWAYS
-
Your bookends (AM and PM) are when you typically have the most control.
-
Early morning is the most critical time for anyone, whether you wake up at 5am or 9am. You must design your mornings with intention.
-
Outside of your 9-5, learn to do two forms of work: rituals and project-focused deep work (efforts that "move the needle" on your freedom).
-
Shutdown routines and related strategies help you compartmentalize how you spend time and ensure presence (e.g., when around family).
-
Optimize your evenings for calm, time with loved ones, next-day clarity, and excellent sleep.
RESOURCES
Live Uncaged: try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Related episodes: Creating Time Freedom at Work (#38)
Suggested books (summaries): Deep Work (Cal Newport), Why We Sleep (Matthew Walker)
The universe is speaking: start your side hustle. Everyone's doing it, right? Actually, let's pause and rethink that.
Not everyone should ignite this "parallel path" outside of their corporate career. Listen to this episode to help you understand if side-hustling is right for you.
TAKEAWAYS
-
Know the difference between "investments" and "side hustles."
-
Side-hustling requires you to adopt a business owner mindset.
-
Following your passion isn't what makes a side hustle effective.
-
You'd better make sure it gives you energy.
-
Shifts in the global economy make side-hustling a "high upside, low downside" bet if you play the long game.
RESOURCES
Live Uncaged: try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Default thinking says, "I just need to suck it up at work." That's nonsense. You can take control of your corporate job and create Time Freedom — right where you are.
Learn the biological reasons why we feel overrun at work, plus 3 strategies (plus tactics) for creating Time Freedom.
Break free of the Corporate Cage: join the Uncaged Academy.
TIMESTAMPS
03:03 The Time Freedom mindset
03:53 That caged feeling
04:45 Why work overtakes us
07:00 How Henry Ford screwed us
09:30 Freedom framework (5 types)
10:19 Intro: 3 strategies for Time Freedom
10:36 ONE: Know thyself
12:19 TWO: Learn their game
14:57 THREE: Design your game
18:36 Recap
TAKEAWAYS
-
You don't "find" time; you must create it.
-
Freedom is what you're born with. It's also a choice. Choose it, and then begin to manifest it.
-
Within corporate, must adopt an "outcomes over hours" mindset.
-
Understand your personal Point of Diminishing Returns at work.
-
Much of the upfront work involves identifying and confronting your limiting beliefs.
RESOURCES
Join the Uncaged Academy (cohort-based course)
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Related episodes: Outcomes Over Hours (#35)
What path should you take? The Safe Path is predictable and comfortable. But then there's the Passion Path, where you know you'll encounter a life of adventure and excitement. This question applies equally to life and career.
Listen up to discover a mental model for approaching safety vs. passion.
Break free of the Corporate Cage: join the Uncaged Academy.
TIMESTAMPS
02:35 A question of two paths
04:28 Contemplating passion
05:39 Truly, what is safety?
07:00 Too much safety = masochism
07:22 A framework for action
11:29 Recap of big ideas
TAKEAWAYS
-
Starting down the Safety Path gets a relevant foothold early on. But soon enough, you'll wrestle with a burning desire for passion.
-
We're never really safe if we feel continually terrible in the process.
-
Someone else's Plan A is inevitably your Plan B
-
Understand your personal Law of Diminishing Returns — the point at which it no longer makes sense to go "above and beyond" at work.
-
Use regret as a forecasting tool — think forward to your deathbed. What anticipated insights can you pull from the future to the present?
RESOURCES
Join the Uncaged Academy (cohort-based course)
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Related episodes: Escaping the Matrix (#23)
This is a personal and emotional episode. In the months leading up to quitting corporate in March 2022, I recorded my thoughts and feelings. This episode is a compilation of those recordings — a personal journal, if you will.
I discuss why I needed to make the leap, including the strategy and mindset that made it possible. I hope it helps you identify the “leaps” worth making in your life.
Ready to take ownership of your career and life? I’ve got something next-level for you: the Uncaged Academy.
TIMESTAMPS
01:35 90 DAYS out from resignation
05:58 60 DAYS out from resignation
09:14 People stuck in their Matrix
11:20 Leaving corporate as a forcing function for growth
13:55 Anticipation (visualization) of Freedom Day
14:38 30 DAYS out from resignation
15:48 Readying to lose my “guaranteed” paycheck
19:01 Feeling “alive” as I’ve cultivated my passion
21:20 7 DAYS out from resignation
24:16 Default Path vs. Pathless Path (Paul Millerd)
26:33 Resignation (Freedom) day
28:02 I resigned from corporate!
TAKEAWAYS
-
After life fell apart for me, I took control of my corporate situation over recent years and found ways to operate on my own terms.
-
Soon, I was helping others do the same, and I discovered the seeds of a new entrepreneurial business.
-
COVID allowed me to experiment and lay the groundwork for a post-corporate life.
-
Personally, I eventually felt it wasn’t risky to leave corporate. It was riskier to stay — living a “small” life, being undiversified, denying my burning inner purpose.
-
I realized I could model out my net worth, free time, etc. in corporate for decades ahead. That “cap” scared me. I’d rather have uncapped potential.
-
Imposterism (imposter syndrome) took hold early on as I contemplated entrepreneurial life. I had to train my mind to welcome the shift as a worthy fear.
-
Leaving the corporate “safety net” became a forcing function for me to become who I’m capable of being.
-
I had to get comfortable with not having a rigid plan or “ideal results” before taking the leap.
-
I worked with my coach to execute a strategic, well-planned exit from corporate. I wasn’t going to leave my family (including wife and 4 kids) in a tough situation.
-
With massive moves in life (e.g., buying a house, having a kid, starting a business), the timing just has to be “good enough.” It’ll never be perfect. Trust yourself.
RESOURCES
Join the Uncaged Academy (cohort-based course)
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Related episodes: Self-Reliance (#17), Imposter Syndrome (#30)
We're still battling remnants from the Industrial Age. One of the most notorious (and life-limiting) features is the standard workweek, including the cultural pressures to operate in a "standard" way.
Matt argues that one of the keys to time freedom is to let go of the "participation points" mentality where we show up to every meeting and take on an immense workload. The solution? Focus on outcomes, not hours.
TIMESTAMPS
02:23 Topical overview
03:00 Battling an antiquated belief system
05:42 Negative effects of "playing their game"
07:40 Establishing a contract (with yourself & others)
11:10 Five steps to implement "outcomes over hours"
TAKEAWAYS
-
The traditional workweek is antiquated, and if you fall victim to its trappings, you're trading off a lot for very little in return.
-
At performance review time, no one talks about the hours you put in — they analyze the "impactful" outcomes you delivered.
-
Choosing "outcomes over hours" is a philosophy for valuing your time — being hyper-efficient with how you protect it at work while redirecting that conserved energy to your actual life priorities.
-
We must understand corporate jobs from a "utility" standpoint to maximize our income and opportunities while not senselessly going "above and beyond" because of peer pressure.
-
Identify the core outcomes you must deliver and ruthlessly adjust your calendar and habits to deliver on these.
RESOURCES
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
In this episode, Matt announces the rebrand of his podcast (formerly The Rising Digital Leader). In line with his new entrepreneurial mission, Matt describes the rationale for rebranding the show. He discusses his professional journey since COVID began, what he learned in the process, and what his personal reasons were for saying goodbye to corporate.
Ready to live Uncaged? Download your Freedom Guide.
Full show notes & resources: uncageyourself.fm
TAKEAWAYS
-
Immense power in taking hear-aligned, messy action
-
Playing the same corporate games as everyone else can put life into a tailspin
-
Rather than succumb to the Corporate Cage, we can choose to live Uncaged
-
Multiples types of freedom that we should aim for: Time, Financial, Purpose, Relationships, Health
-
Matt is igniting an ambitious movement: to "uncage" 100K people by 2025
RESOURCES
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Uncage Yourself explores how to build a career and life on your terms.
Many people are trapped in the Corporate Cage — a dangerous position where work dominates their days and personal lives. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can direct your corporate experience and unlock a life of freedom, right where you are.
This show is about your transformation: from Caged to Uncaged. Your host, Matt Doan, brings forward the guests, stories, strategies, and tactics to make it happen.
Full show notes & resources: uncageyourself.fm
RESOURCES
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
NOTE: This show was formerly known as The Rising Digital Leader
Maurice Philogene lives a robust life, with a background as a senior executive, real estate investor, restaurant owner, traveler, public servant, philanthropist, and lifestyle design/wealth coach. We spend our time in this episode discussing his driving aim: freedom. A self-proclaimed “freedom fighter,” he highlights what he learned from the corporate world and how we can design a lifestyle that’s just dripping with our version of freedom.
Stuck in the Corporate Cage? Download your Freedom Guide.
TIMESTAMPS
02:16 Love of the Mediterranean
04:29 Moe’s backstory
08:07 Active work, passive income
11:23 The freedom fighter mentality
14:28 Combatting the Default Script
16:31 Maximizing utility within corporate
18:36 Intentional lifestyle design
22:56 Finding door-opening relationships
25:08 Stepping into philanthropy
28:33 Be selfish so you may be selfless
31:26 “A day in the life” with Moe
34:54 Rapid-fire questions
44:49 Closing message
TAKEAWAYS
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Once you have enough money to take care of your basic needs, you see that life is not about money at all
-
The five freedom principles: financial, time, geographic, purpose, relationships
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We are responsible for using our income, experience, and skills to create our version of happiness
-
First and foremost, determine the utility that corporate jobs offer you — then, design from there
-
Be careful fulling into "rent-a-brain" situations; figure out how to conserve time and energy to unleash your creativity
-
It's okay to be selfish...in order to become selfless
-
Seek constant movement: expose yourself to new geographies, cultures, people, ideas, and opportunities to ensure you're always expanding
-
“We feel better as a human [when] we’re accessing the Earth.”
-
Everything comes from new relationships: being around people that are doing things on "another level"
-
Creating wealth can be joyous, as that abundance enables you to give to others
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Maurice on LinkedIn
Connect w/ Maurice on Instagram
Maurice's investment firm: Quattro Capital
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Are you a rat? Take a hard look in the mirror. Be honest with yourself, and decide whether your career strategy is helping or hurting your overall life experience. In this episode, Matt describes the life of a typical rat racer and then poses some critical reflection questions.
Tired of rat racing? Download the free Corporate Cage Freedom Guide.
TAKEAWAYS
Rat Race: the unpleasant reality where a person’s job requires them to endlessly compete with others for money, power, status.
Industrialized education systems teach us early on that picking a “prescribed path” is the key to success and happiness.
It’s difficult to separate genuine desires from those we’ve adopted by external influences (explained by Mimetic Theory).
If we’re not “awake,” self-directed, and intentional with our career strategy, we can end up deflated and regretful.
3 questions will help you understand if you’re running the rat race and how you might break free.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Sana A Ahmed is a personal brand experience consultant and thought creator. We unpack how to unleash your inner monster — showing up as a person who has the guts to consciously stand out amidst a noisy world. We also discuss the immense potential of becoming an online creator by focusing on your Personal Philosophy.
Ready to dive down the rabbit hole? Download the free Corporate Cage Freedom Guide.
TIMESTAMPS
[2:08] Why explore monsters?
[5:56] Befriending your inner monster
[7:30] Sana’s “creator” backstory
[13:40] Personal Philosophy: definition & value
[20:00] Leaders embody their philosophy
[22:15] Applying the Niche of One (article)
[26:15] Escape competition through authenticity
[28:24] Countering “default path” thinking
[32:00] Rapid-fire questions
[37:00] Rituals for an energized day
TAKEAWAYS
-
A monster is a person with the guts to show up and stand out, consciously; they reveal to others what is hidden in plain sight
-
When you befriend your monster, you’re unlocking connection through authenticity and relatability
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Personal Philosophy: (1) means “love of knowing who you are” and (2) having it provides constraints for achieving higher levels of freedom
-
Strong self-knowledge makes life smoother and easier
-
“Niching down” your personal brand can leave you feeling confined over time; counter this through an always-evolving Niche of One approach
-
If you’re a creator, you don’t want to compete; instead, you need to collaborate
-
Best advice: follow (lead with) your heart
-
Over-focus on “reach” and metrics will trap you; you’ll lose energy to persevere
-
“Success” is necessarily a definition of your own making
-
Live at the intersection of your interests and you'll elevate your potency as a creator (bringing together different facets and creating value)
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Sana on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @sanathemonster
See Sana's personal site
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Here, Matt shares his views on Imposter Syndrome, and why we need to start viewing it with a more productive lens. Rather than being down on ourselves for feeling like an imposter, we should let it signal a worthy challenge in life.
Ready to dive down the rabbit hole? Download the free Corporate Cage Freedom Guide.
TAKEAWAYS
Humans are wired to seek safety and security — a contributing factor to feeling like an imposter.
We should stop calling it a "syndrome," which implies there's something abnormal or wrong with us.
A better term: Imposterism.
The Spotlight Effect explains that people care far less about your Imposterism than you do (we're all focused on ourselves).
Stoicism helps us understand that our imposter feeling stems from artificial feelings, not facts.
Be kind to yourself, always realizing you're a beautiful work-in-progress (Imposterism is part of character development).
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
On average, if we’re lucky, we’ll be alive on this planet for 4,000 weeks. That’s not much. So, what will you do with your precious time?
Great time management is the ultimate meta-skill for life. In this episode, Matt presents what extreme time ownership is and why you need it. After explaining the mindset aspect, Matt shares 15 tactical tips on how to own your time with intention and ruthlessness.
Ready to dive down the rabbit hole? Download the free Corporate Cage Freedom Guide.
TAKEAWAYS
How you manage your time will make or break your career and life!
There is immense power in less, in reduction. By carving out the excess, you give more space and focus for what truly adds value to you, your work, and your purpose.
What others ask of you almost always pales in comparison to what you can accomplish under your own imagination and initiative.
Respect your energy, the quality of your output, and your progress. As a start, reject multitasking.
Extreme Time Ownership is key to escaping the Corporate Cage, and living an Uncaged life.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Jason Rosselot is a VP of Cybersecurity at Dell Technologies. But traditional paths aren't his thing. From serving as a Special Agent protecting the Dalai Lama to ensuring resiliency in manufacturing and software, Jason is driven by a very personal mission.
Feeling "caged" at work? Here's your key to freedom.
TAKEAWAYS
The most profound value creation isn't at the most predictable locations within organizations. Instead, the biggest opportunities exist in No Man's Land (the "seams") — the handoff points and areas where no one seems to "own" the task.
While traditional career paths offer useful jumpstarts and open doors, don't lock in prematurely. Instead, listen to what your inner voice tells you and follow that guidance.
Leadership is about bravely engaging in big problems; it's not just about taking on a prominent position.
Your potential is what YOU deem it to be; it's not dictated by your experience or what others perceive of you.
One of the most important things we can all do is unlock from our version of the Matrix: see more clearly what we're called to do and take aligned action with that calling.
TIMESTAMPS
[2:25] Meeting & protecting the Dalai Lama
[4:21] Jason’s winding professional journey
[5:57] Security: Jason’s purpose-driven mission
[7:00] What matters over career phases
[12:15] Value in the seams, not the silos
[14:54] Separation of professional & personal?
[18:01] Development of leadership philosophy
[20:49] How to get “unstuck” at mid-career
[23:17] Understand your version of the Matrix
[26:16] Do a good turn daily
[29:20] Advice for starting a career right now
[31:44] Closing piece of advice
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Jason on LinkedIn
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter: @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
So many people end trapped in the Corporate Cage: a psychological state where they feel like they can't move. In this episode, I define this "caged" existence and reveal a path out — a path to freedom. Corporate work can feel good; you just need to intentionally design your way there.
Ready to dive down the rabbit hole? Download the free Corporate Cage Freedom Guide.
TAKEAWAYS
The Corporate Cage is a prison of our own choosing (and we can break free).
A corporate work environment can feel rewarding and enable a happy life for you.
5 types of freedom to strive for: Time, Financial, Purpose, Social, and Health.
You possess the keys to freedom right now — listen in to understand and learn how to use them.
Corporate life doesn't have to suck. When you take control and put yourself first, it can work out really well.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Life is chaotic and fast-moving. If we don’t pause and reflect, we miss out on key signals and opportunities. I do this almost every day in my journal, but I go meta through my annual review. So I analyzed my 2021 experience, and I'm delivering some wisdom to you. Here are my top 10 lessons from 2021. I hope you find them valuable!
Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Mark Freeman (data scientist, entrepreneur, and LinkedIn celebrity) joins us in the studio! We can all admire his unrelenting fixation on solving large-scale societal problems and his deep understanding of how to nurture an online community. He goes behind the scenes on his career, as we discuss his navigation into various high-impact communities (startup, data science, Web3).
Tired of feeling "caged" at work? Here's your key to freedom.
TAKEAWAYS
On social media, think of every follower as a mentor — make sure you're finding ways to learn from them.
Apply the "dead flip" approach (pinball) in career and life: understand when to pause, reset, and validate your target.
Breaking into data science doesn't necessarily require deep technical skills. Start by understanding how you can provide unique business value, and craft your role from there.
Side hustles can be useful beyond their monetary value. Think of them as testbeds to prove hypotheses, test your interests, and continually validate your passions.
Use your online interactions to increase the odds of serendipity in your life (plant many seeds, and see which ones sprout over time).
TIMESTAMPS
[2:00] The dead flip
[5:02] How chess played a pivotal role
[5:50] Mark’s professional journey
[10:28] Driven by meaning, open to pivoting
[11:48] Diverse inroads into data science
[18:14] TRIBE framework — move forward together
[20:00] Community & two-way value exchange
[23:12] Operating a job creation “funnel”
[26:21] Mark’s entrepreneurial ventures
[36:00] DeFi participation (CharlieDAO)
[41:37] The power of “collisions”
[42:57] Rapid-fire questions
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Mark on LinkedIn
Related episode: Creators + Web3 (w/ Chris Cochran)
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter: @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
Chris Cochran is co-founder and CEO of Hacker Valley Media, where he co-hosts several podcasts centered on technology and human performance. He drops by the studio to discuss what it means for a tech professional to flourish as a "creator" today. We introduce Web3, and how its features are enabling an exciting set of opportunities for individual professionals to enhance their career trajectory and overall life.
Create more career freedom: subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter.
TAKEAWAYS
A creator is anyone who can distill the ideas floating through their mind and package and deliver them to the world (mediums: sketches, words, multimedia, code, etc.).
You can separate your creative side from your corporate role...or marry the two. There are no hard rules. Do what gives you energy.
Web3 is completely upending the "known" internet — changing economics, finance, business, and so much more. (Check out a short "Ethereum 101" podcast from Alex Lieberman.)
ExIST: Explore, Immerse, Study, Translate (Transform) — a framework for pursuing excellence in the pursuit of human endeavors.
Credentials have their value, but nothing beats experience. Experience doesn’t necessarily mean working in a professional job.
Be authentic (DON'T be "normal"). Actively break out of your small comfort zone.
TIMESTAMPS
[3:56] “Creator” defined
[5:17] How “creating” changed Chris’s life
[7:53] Balancing job & authentic self
[10:52] Intro to Web3
[14:17] How to test Web3 (ExIST framework)
[18:47] New mindset for education
[24:33] Credentialize > credential-collecting
[28:07] Why we’re still bad at cybersecurity
[31:47] Best advice Chris received
[34:15] The law we all need to follow
[36:33] Closing message: find your tribe
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Chris on LinkedIn
Hacker Valley site (including the Web3-focused show: Metaversable)
Web3 primer video (8 minutes)
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
We all live in some version of the Matrix — where we take our situation as given. But what would it look like to wake up? To see more clearly and direct your life? This episode is about awakening to the limitations you've subconsciously accepted in your career and doing something about it: creating freedom. Listen in to discover your real potential.
Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter.
TAKEAWAYS
The Matrix movie trilogy suggests that everyone is capable of making the choice between the real world and an artificial one.
Career-wise, we're taught to choose from an existing corporate system, and just make the most of it.
Betting your livelihood solely on "gutting it out" in corporate will leave you miserable.
John Marty suggests we deploy a "dual-path" strategy: Utility (corporate) + Authentic Self.
Sometimes we're climbing the wrong hill, and we need to have the guts to walk down and start another climb.
You can create more freedom in your life if you start embracing self-reliance.
TIMESTAMPS
[1:34] What the Matrix teaches us
[2:31] How this plays out at work
[3:47] The dual-path strategy
[7:20] How Matt is pursuing both paths
[9:10] Are you climbing the wrong hill?
[10:15] Our real aim: a sense of freedom
RESOURCES
Related episode (#17): Self-Reliance
John Marty's "dual-path" video
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
OVERVIEW
We're joined in this episode by Elayna Snyder, Founder of Indigo Collectiv. She focuses on helping thought leaders fuel their strategy by being their authentic selves. She delivers a masterclass on harnessing your individuality. Her premise: your knowledge and ideas need an outlet, and that outlet should create an impact.
Improve your LinkedIn game: How to Build Your Hidden LinkedIn Funnel™ in 3 Easy Steps (resource from Elayna)
Tired of being "stuck" in your tech career? Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter.
TAKEAWAYS
Our "authentic self" changes based on the context that we’re in.
There are many roads to a destination, but they differ in timeline and effectiveness
You must make decisions that align with who you are on the inside.
A well-shaped personal brand helps you scale your ideas, build meaningful relationships, and create the impact you crave.
An established personal brand isn’t a prerequisite to contributing and getting to know the community you want to build or contribute to.
LinkedIn is NOT a glorified resume platform or virtual conference; it's a place to be social and create a world of opportunities.
TIMESTAMPS
[6:30] Transcending your credentials
[9:09] Client creation
[11:25] Applying your “fire” (corporate & side hustle)
[13:25] Personal brand: greatest long-term asset
[18:00] Shaping your personal brand
[19:17] Why & how to harness LinkedIn
[21:25] Building your community
[24:03] Serving your tribe (& monetizing)
[26:55] Your forcing function for growth
[28:25] Elayna on the hot seat
RESOURCES
How to Build Your Hidden LinkedIn Funnel™ in 3 Easy Steps (resource from Elayna)
Connect w/ Elayna on LinkedIn
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
OVERVIEW
We're joined today by Shiv Singh, Founder of Emerge Management Consulting. Shiv is a compelling example of what it means to "look inside" and figure out what you've been put on this planet to do. We hear a lot about "find your why," but Shiv demonstrates how to put the concept into action — even if it requires going against societal norms. Lots to learn here, from both a career and life perspective.
Tired of being "stuck" in your tech career? Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter.
TAKEAWAYS
- "Early life" pressures (e.g., educational success) might be subconsciously driving your career and life choices — to your detriment.
- An overemphasis on external validation is dangerous; we must balance it with finding success internally.
- Your "why" is your compass (and your criteria) for making daily micro-decisions that add up to a meaningful, fulfilled life.
- Diving into entrepreneurship removes the safety net and forces you to gauge what you're truly capable of.
- Rather than fixating on an exact route to a single career destination, stay nimble and explore multiple paths that feel directionally "right."
TIMESTAMPS
[2:12] Pillars of life
[8:12] Associating academic & career success
[13:23] Striving for never-ending external validation
[17:15] Taking a leap of faith “on myself”
[22:20] The forcing function for your growth
[26:28] Don’t obsess over goals; one meaningful step at a time
[32:44] Joys & hardships of being on your own
[34:38] The Pathless Path
[37:09] Reconciling your professional & personal selves
[41:10] Mental health in management consulting
RESOURCES
Related episode (#17): Self-Reliance
Connect w/ Shiv on LinkedIn
Check out Shiv's business: Emerge Management Consulting
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
OVERVIEW
We're joined today by Ben Dundee, VP and Head of Data Science at Dekeo. Ben delivers sharp advice on how to become influential with data — changing hearts and minds across an organization. Empathy and community are key elements of his personality and success. Lots of lessons in this one!
Tired of being "stuck" in your tech career? Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter.
TAKEAWAYS
Don't let your past define your future; learn to say "thank you, next."
Product Management is a great space to learn what the business cares about (you gain diverse perspectives).
A data leader's role is often to ensure all people (technical and non-technical) believe in the value of the data effort.
Don't waste time on data perfection (objective truth) — a simple model that's 80% correct is often the key to success.
"Dance with fear" — embrace discomfort; this is how you build a great career and life.
TIMESTAMPS
[2:15] The self-branding journey: Physics PhD to Data Science VP
[11:35] Using business knowledge and relationships as leverage to create impact
[16:27] The mysticism of data science
[20:35] Skills for the mid-career tech professional
[26:53] The worst advice to follow
[31:34] Ben's advice to his younger self
RESOURCES
Related episode (#19): You Don't Need an MBA
Connect w/ Ben on LinkedIn
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
OVERVIEW
For decades, there's been an assumption that you need an MBA to be a business leader. This creates a challenge for rising digital leaders — those that come from technical backgrounds and feel a desire to be an influential force within the organization. Do they need to sink their time and money into nabbing this credential? Today, Matt argues why an MBA isn't necessary for tech professionals while getting to the essence of what we're really after.
Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter.
TAKEAWAYS
We've been lulled into thinking an MBA is a "must do" for reaching the highest realms of business leadership.
What people really want with an MBA: Mastery, Badges, Attention.
“We’ve reached the post-content age. Content is no longer scarce in education. It’s either free or low-cost, and it's abundant.”
Millennials and Gen Zs place significant value on community, which will transform the future of education.
EdTech platforms, such as those enabling Cohort-Based Courses, are opening faster and cheaper alternatives to the MBA — with similar benefits.
TIMESTAMPS
[3:30] Why people really chase an MBA
[5:15] Mastery, badges, and attention
[6:55] The problem of self-motivation
[8:56] Power of new education models
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
OVERVIEW
Does technology really make life better? Not necessarily. While digital technology is inevitably at the core of your organization's mission, we must be careful how we adopt it. We can’t look at any piece of technology as a silver bullet. We can’t let ourselves fall in love.
Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter.
TAKEAWAYS
Technology trends don't have to be as inevitable as they might appear.
“Our inventions are [nothing more than] improved means to an unimproved end.” — Thoreau
Culture always pays a price for technology.
There are always winners and losers in technological change.
Technological change is not additive; it is ecological.
TIMESTAMPS
[2:29] The insanity of silver bullets
[3:16] Change happens on the inside
[4:44] Neil Postman's 5 ideas on technological change
RESOURCES
"Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change" by Neil Postman (1998)
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
OVERVIEW
Today, Matt talks about one of his life’s greatest influences: the American philosopher and writer Ralph Waldo Emerson. We cover the importance of Emerson’s 1841 essay "Self-Reliance" and how to adopt these principles as a modern tech professional.
Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter.
TAKEAWAYS
When it comes to a thriving career, self-reliance is the key. It's about taking control to create a life of wealth and freedom (however you define that).
American Transcendentalism believes that individuals can transcend the physical world of their senses into a more profound spiritual experience through free will and intuition. This elevates your career perspective.
By exploring your innermost self during times of solitude, you learn how to trust yourself more. Trust thyself!
In the tech world, it’s easy to walk in line with everybody else. But self-reliance requires that you don't conform. ("Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.")
Others will act as if they know your duty better than you. But it’s your life; march to your own beat! Greatness appeals to the future. It’s what pulls you forward.
TIMESTAMPS
[3:35] Emerson’s awakening
[5:43] Trust thyself
[7:18] Nonconformity
[9:10] Determine what you must do
[10:02] Embrace your voyage
RESOURCES
"Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1841)
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
OVERVIEW
Politics is about more than nasty conversations between two political parties. Humans resolve conflicts and move forward through politics. In this episode, learn why aspiring digital leaders need to have their eyes on this skillset. We discuss how to enter the organizational politics arena and the key skills for elevating your career.
Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter.
TAKEAWAYS
Politics stems from a diversity of competing interests, which must be resolved in some way.
You not taking an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won't take an interest in you.
The 4 types of organizational politics: Weeds, Rocks, Highground, Woods.
People in tech are perceived as merely serving the organization and not leading it. That’s wrong! We must lean in and engage.
We cover 10 ways to start building your political muscle.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
OVERVIEW
Technical skills have known ceilings. In turn, writing is every digital leader's boundless career multiplier. After covering how writing and influence are intertwined, Matt discusses the benefits of cultivating a writing habit and how you can steadily go from bad to good to great.
Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter.
TAKEAWAYS
In tech, we obsess about scaled impact. Writing is the key to scaling your personal impact.
In our knowledge economy, your creativity reigns supreme. Your ideas are your biggest potential return on investment.
Writing forces you to sharpen your thinking in a way that you can't do through other means.
Writing is the most scalable professional networking activity.
Strong writing makes you intellectually battle-ready.
Neil Strauss on editing: (1) Write for yourself, (2) Revise for the reader, (3) Fine-tune for the critics.
Writing keeps you young, fresh, and always relevant.
TIMESTAMPS
[3:15] Leverage at your fingertips
[4:14] Writing sharpens your thinking
[6:08] Getting battle-ready
[9:02] Don't go to conferences; write and ship
[11:17] Writer's block is defeatable
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
OVERVIEW
We all have a dark side. Repressing it only creates internal pain and limits your potential as a leader. In this episode, we learn how tech leaders can understand their "negative" traits and harness them to become a more dynamic and impactful force in their organization.
Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter.
TAKEAWAYS
We all have a dark side, but great leaders take the time to understand and use it to their advantage.
We're taught as children that letting out negative emotions is bad. This repression compounds over time and stunts our growth as adults.
The dark side has its value. Just like the Roman leader Cicero and the entertainer Josephine Baker, we can channel it toward positive outcomes.
Become the "integrated human" requires (1) identifying, (2) embracing, (3) exploring, and (4) revealing your dark side.
We need to give our subconscious a chance to surface — otherwise, we risk career regret, lost opportunities, and creative suppression.
TIMESTAMPS
[2:12] Our dark side is hardwired
[3:30] The great repression (longing for play)
[5:01] The impossibility of “golden” leaders
[7:26] There’s always a hero & a villain
[8:24] 4 steps to harnessing your dark side
RESOURCES
Book mentioned: The Laws of Human Nature (by Robert Greene)
Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube
Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter
OVERVIEW
We're joined today by Mike McGill, Chief Information Officer at Medical Service Company. He discusses how Stoicism and other self-care approaches have helped him professionally and personally. We also dive into how to view the different phases of your career, plus how the Creator Economy is opening exciting new doors for people of all backgrounds. Please enjoy!
Accelerate your tech career by trying Wednesday Wisdom: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter/
TAKEAWAYS
Stoic philosophy is a pragmatic and "grounding" approach for being a better leader and living a more peaceful existence.
A long-term career "north star" is helpful, but make sure you're fluid and adaptive as you go.
Rethink resumes and credentials. Today, hiring managers look for one's commitment to craft. Building in public elevates you!
Creating space between stimulus and response gives you control over your emotions.
Beyond money, status, and fame, a deeper metric for success can center on happiness and peace.
TIMESTAMPS
[2:32] Mike’s creative mindset and Twitter approach
[6:23] Spectrum of “what matters” in a tech career — choosing what you’re optimizing for
[14:44] How to think about your evolving “future self” vision
[16:39] How the Creator Economy and other forces should influence how you pursue learning and credentials
[23:02] The “ownership mindset” required to build the career you desire
[25:00] How Stoicism has been a life-changer, at work and home (“I had a Stoicism-shaped hole in me”)
[28:22] The types of “modern” philosophy that can help digital leaders
[33:29] A preview of Mike’s upcoming book: The IT Leadership Blueprint
[39:26] The skills that up-and-coming tech professionals need to fixate on
RESOURCES
Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mcgillmd921
Connect w/ Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmcgill21/
Mike's site: https://www.michaeldmcgill.com/
Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan
Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw
Books mentioned: The Obstacle Is the Way, The Daily Stoic
OVERVIEW
Today, we cover how personal brands work for digital professionals. Cultivating a strong personal brand is a long-term asset that'll shape your career and propel you over a lifetime. In addition to the "what" and "why," we'll cover an 8-part framework that you can implement starting today.
Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter
TAKEAWAYS
A brand is a promise. Your personal brand is your promise to the people you seek to serve.
Even in political exile, Winston Churchill remained relevant and sought after because of the personal brand he created for himself.
A strong personal brand includes the following 8 elements: role models, vision, niche, value proposition, online assets, content marketing strategy, social media strategy, and community value.
Your personal brand is your body of work. It’s like an encyclopedia; you write it page by page, not volume by volume.
A personal brand is a magnetic asset — it attracts the right people and repels the wrong people.
RESOURCES
Examples of a strong personal brand in tech:
→ John Marty: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrmarty/
→ Daliana Liu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalianaliu/
Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan
Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw
OVERVIEW
"I'm not a businessman. I'm a business, man." — Jay-Z
The Creator Economy is gaining steam, and it holds huge potential for you as a digital professional. If you'd like to start a side hustle or find ways to impact more lives, this one is for you. We'll cover Creator Economy basics, why it matters to you, and how you might get started.
TAKEAWAYS
Society is experiencing a fundamental shift from the Attention Economy to the Creator Economy.
The Creator Economy consists of the platforms, marketplaces, and tools that are decentralizing creative expression and entrepreneurship.
You're able to monetize your skills and passions, diversify your career portfolio, shape your personal brand, generate audience and impact, and achieve deeper levels of fulfillment.
Beyond just the top 1% of creators making a living, we're seeing the rise of a "middle class" in the Creator Economy.
We cover 5 key principles for entering and establishing your presence in the Creator Economy.
TIMESTAMPS
[2:05] We’re experiencing seismic shifts in the global economy
[4:38] How the Creator Economy is opening new doors to technical experts
[7:52] 5 reasons you should diversify from corporate to entrepreneurship
[9:34] Examples of technical experts capitalizing on the Creator Economy
[14:42] Principles for getting started — and eventually getting good
RESOURCES
Jack Butcher (mentioned): https://twitter.com/jackbutcher
Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan
Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw
Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter
OVERVIEW
Today we're joined by Lori Zukin, CEO and founder of Zukin Leadership. With a rich history in coaching and consulting to some of the world's most prominent organizations, Lori is a goldmine for understanding the more nuanced ways that leaders cultivate and exert influence. She holds a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and serves on the faculty at Georgetown University. Before starting her own company, Lori was an executive at Booz Allen Hamilton.
Unlock a brighter tech career w/ Wednesday Wisdom: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter
TAKEAWAYS
If we focus on what we love doing, we see more possibilities in the world.
"If I'm coaching, the other is in charge. If I'm facilitating, I'm driving towards a solution. If I'm consulting, I have the answers."
The move from corporate to entrepreneur isn't for everyone, but in trying, you afford yourself the chance to experience levels of freedom and connection unlike anything else.
Listen to your inner voice. Constantly ask yourself, "Am I doing things that energize me?"
Leadership is not about rank, and the smartest person isn't always the best leader.
TIMESTAMPS
[4:00] How “love and the bottom line” can guide business growth
[6:15] Why passion is something we intentionally cultivate through trial & error
[8:03] The differences between coaching, consulting, & facilitation
[12:03] The mindset shift from technical guru to effective leader
[13:42] The importance of “thinking about your thinking” (metacognition)
[15:35] Lori’s origin story, including her evolution into organizational psychology
[18:09] Taking the entrepreneurial “leap” after a long & successful corporate career
[25:11] Putting in the reps, waking up to complacency, & seeing what you’re capable of
[29:56] How we can apply “COVID innovation” consistently going forward
[32:58] Lori’s work w/ Simon Sinek (communicate while infusing accountability)
[38:49] Step off the “life” treadmill & focus on what gives you energy
RESOURCES
The Biggest Bluff (book mentioned): https://amzn.to/3CyfmU3
Connect w/ Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-zukin-19a317a/
Learn about Zukin Leadership: https://www.zukinleadership.com/
Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan
Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw
OVERVIEW
Today, Matthew slides away from the show's usual focus and talks about a difficult incident involving his nine-year-old son. He reflects on how fragile life is and shares some Stoic-driven lessons on how to handle life's toughest situations.
TAKEAWAYS
It's all too easy to get caught up in "the grind" while losing sight of what truly matters in life.
Unfortunately, it often takes a life-altering event to shock us back to our true priorities.
Amor fati (Latin for "love of fate") is an attitude that we should welcome everything that happens to us as necessary.
We are fallible humans, not robots. We need to build internal capability for dealing with life's biggest stressors.
Premeditatio malorum is a Stoic exercise for proactively anticipating adversity to become resilient if the bad thing should happen.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan
Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw
Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter
OVERVIEW
We all face a content overload problem. Everything we need for self-development is at our fingertips, but we're drinking from a firehose and unable to focus. Today's most successful leaders know how to cut through the noise and find the signals. They do this by mastering a key skill: curation. Listen in to figure out the why, what, and how of making curation your superpower.
For a weekly dose of digital leadership and career advice, try Wednesday Wisdom: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter
TAKEAWAYS
Before the digital age, people paid to access valuable information. Now, we're drowning in content.
To be successful, we need to be intentional with our learning and development. For that, curation is your superpower.
With your long-term vision of your future self as a backdrop, follow this step-by-step approach to curate your personal knowledge feed (channels and content).
Developing your curation superpower is both intrinsically and extrinsically rewarding.
Curation enables you to succeed at multiple levels across your digital career: self, organization, and industry.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan
Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw
Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter
OVERVIEW
Today we're joined by Simone Petrella, CEO of CyberVista. Simone lives and breathes education, and her organization specializes in upskilling cybersecurity and technology professionals. In our conversation, we explore the radical transformation that the education industry is experiencing, and what that means for the aspiring digital leader.
Unlock more professional freedom with the new course: Digital Career Flight Plan. Try it: https://matthewdoan.com/flight
TAKEAWAYS
There's still a significant divide between business strategy and digital strategy — leaders on both sides of the aisle need to further harmonize their understand and efforts.
Especially since COVID, education and employment shifts are changing what it means to be "qualified" in a technology-focused job.
CyberVista is working to upend traditional measures for gauging a person's skills — moving from static to dynamic.
Being a mother has helped Simone lead with empathy, honor the human condition, and see life as much more than achieving professional goals.
Digital leaders are primed to help steer organizations going forward as they work to weave technology capabilities into the heart of customer experience and business strategy.
RESOURCES
Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter
Connect w/ Simone on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-petrella-a213a42/
Follow Simone on Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonepetrella
Learn about CyberVista: https://www.cybervista.net/
Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan
Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw
OVERVIEW
Gatekeeping has long influenced our careers, and it's limiting upward progress for most people. Today, Matthew talks about the five (5) key points that will help aspiring digital leaders better understand the gatekeeper model and how to rocket past the "standardized credentials" game by betting on their uniqueness.
Accelerate your professional rise with the new course: Digital Career Flight Plan. Try it: https://matthewdoan.com/flight
TAKEAWAYS
When America's revolutionary generation died off, dramatic changes in the education system occurred. Standardized education began to push everyone towards the mean.
Credentials feel good on the surface, but that doesn't directly reflect capability. In most cases, it just proves we're good at passing standardized tests. It's a game of compliance imposed by gatekeepers.
By paying the gatekeeper's game, you'll end up in a crowded space, looking like everyone else. In contrast, a digital leader creates immense impact, steps outside the norm, and champions uniqueness.
We're seeing trends of people bypassing traditional higher education systems all together and finding more creative and direct ways to develop monetizable skills. Some industries are dropping degree requirements as a result. Shifts in education and employment encourage uniqueness.
The gatekeepers are losing power; now is the time to move beyond credentials. You don't need permission to ascend to higher levels of leadership.
RESOURCES
Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter
Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan
Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw
OVERVIEW
Today our guest is Alexandra Heckler, Chief Information Security Officer at Collins Aerospace. In our conversation, she lays out why a digital leader should take an "ecosystem" perspective when viewing and engaging the business. I hope you’ll also be inspired by Alexandra’s journey — a story of embracing your uniqueness and delivering uncommon value.
Accelerate your professional rise with the new course: Digital Career Flight Plan. Try it: https://matthewdoan.com/flight
TAKEAWAYS
Lessons from modifying a ‘68 Corvette: before moving forward, sometimes you need to deconstruct the system and see how it works.
Think like a diplomat — take a sweeping internal and external view of the environment to gauge where digital capabilities are needed and then go build the relationships that get you there.
We can achieve so much more when individuals acknowledge the limits of their strengths and, in turn, partner with people who bring polar opposite skills to the table.
A solid cybersecurity strategy rests upon entering the environment with bold assumptions about what “might be” and then ruthlessly testing them — discarding those that don’t apply and updating the approach as you learn.
Figure out how to balance macro-culture and micro-culture: sometimes you want to be unified with the greater organization while other times there’s value in pockets of isolation.
The quiet, listening leader can be a more dangerous (effective) leader.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Alexandra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandrazofia
Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan
Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan
Book mentioned - The 48 Laws of Power (Robert Greene): https://bit.ly/3Aa98IS
Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw
Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter
OVERVIEW
Today, we talk with Mission Multiplier CEO Jamie Miller about the skills that technology and cybersecurity professionals need to become potent leaders. Jamie shares his journey on creating more community impact by building a "get what you give" business.
Accelerate your professional rise with the new course: Digital Career Flight Plan. Try it: https://matthewdoan.com/flight
TAKEAWAYS
While technologists generally focus on solving technical problems, their leadership impact comes from how they communicate and align the value of their solution to the business.
Mission Multiplier’s guiding belief: when objectives between people and organizations are aligned, the enhancement to the underlying mission is multiplied exponentially.
A digital leader can continuously sharpen their skills by working closely with experts and technical teams in synthesizing new ideas.
Cultivate many opportunities, find out what you’re passionate about, and be disciplined about it. Don’t let others dictate who you’re going to be in terms of your career.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Jamie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiemiller7/
Check out Mission Multiplier: https://missionmultiplier.com/
Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan/
Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw
Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter/
OVERVIEW
Today, we talk about escaping comfort zones and why it's essential to strategically design your own career. You can't just let your career happen to you — there's too much at stake. To ensure professional success, Matthew introduces a three-part career navigation system that helps digital professionals take and sustain flight — establishing clarity over their long-term vision while also thriving in the here-and-now.
Access the free career navigation course: https://matthewdoan.com/flight
For weekly digital leadership and career advice, join Wednesday Wisdom at https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter
TAKEAWAYS
Digital professionals are vulnerable to trends and market changes that can affect their careers if they lack career planning.
Your comfort zone is different from your safety zone. Because one-third of life is spent at work, realize that careers are massive investments.
Similar to the navigation systems used by modern aircraft, we each need the proper instrumentation to ensure a long, healthy career.
25-5-1: a three-part career navigation system that helps you "fly" and differentiate yourself.
More than other disciplines, digital professionals have abundant opportunities that they need to take advantage of.
If interested in this navigation system, sign up for the free email-based course: Digital Career Flight Plan at https://matthewdoan.com/flight
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan/
Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw
OVERVIEW
Here, we talk with Dr. Andrea Little Limbago (VP of Research and Analysis at Interos) about what it takes for tech experts (usually considered introverts) to elevate into leadership positions. Andrea also shares how her unique background in the social sciences enabled her own growth in the cybersecurity field. Finally, she and Matthew discuss how to think about professional networking and why tech leaders need to operate "human-first" in driving organizational progress.
For weekly digital leadership and career advice, join Wednesday Wisdom at https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter
TAKEAWAYS
For tech experts to find their place in leadership roles, they need to: (1) decide if it's for them, (2) sharpen their communication skills, and (3) be influential team players.
Cybersecurity is still stuck with the notion that humans are the weakest link. But at the end of the day, if technology doesn't work with humans in it, it doesn't work.
To build key relationships, think like a social scientist. Connect with key individuals that get you closer to your goal without being self-serving with your personal agenda.
The leadership myths that need busting: (1) you have to be an extrovert to be a leader, (2) leave the people component to HR, and (3) bring solutions, not problems.
Having a professional "squad" is vital to your professional and social health.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Andrea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-little-limbago/
Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan/
Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw
OVERVIEW
Welcome to the first-ever episode of The Rising Digital Leader show! Here, we set the scene for your self-transformation: from a digital (technical) star into a masterful business leader. Following a brief introduction from Matthew, we dive into what it means to be a rising digital leader and then unpack your massive career opportunity in pursuing this journey.
For weekly digital leadership and career advice, join Wednesday Wisdom at https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter
TAKEAWAYS
The 2020s are a ripe time for those in digital (technology) fields: cloud, cybersecurity, data science, human-centered design, and the like.
A “rising digital leader” is an ambitious professional who leverages their technical background and transforms into a business leader — a person that has significant organizational impact and unlocks a better personal life.
Recent research shows how companies with digital-savvy executive teams outperform competitors by 48% (growth and valuation).
But only 7% of companies even have digital-savvy leadership teams in place — this is your opportunity to capture.
There are several types of digital leaders: CxO, professional services (consulting) leader, product leader, or entrepreneur.
While you can choose your ideal destination, the path is similar.
By following the learnings from this show, you’ll create a better professional experience and live a more thriving personal life (freedom of wealth, health, and time).
TIMESTAMPS
[2:20] A short bio on Matthew and what he brings to the table
[5:40] Definition of a rising digital leader
[11:11] Types of digital leaders
[15:53] Upgrading your mindset and skillset
[18:10] Why undertake the digital leader transformation?
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan/
Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw
OVERVIEW
Do you dream of a more thriving career and personal life? Today’s digital technical experts — in cloud, data science, cybersecurity, and the like — have an opportunity to rise and transform into tomorrow’s business leaders. It’s time to separate from the crowd so that you can unlock a remarkably better existence for yourself and your family.
Your host, Matthew Doan, has over 15 years coaching digital (technology) leaders of global companies and government agencies — helping them reach new heights of professional and personal success. Join him to learn impactful strategies that rapidly enhance your mindset and skillset as a digital leader — increasing your capability, influence, and wealth. Blending in lessons from psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, and history, this weekly show delivers a mix of guests, stories, and principles that pack a punch. Hit subscribe, and get ready to change your life.
RESOURCES
Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan/
Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan
Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw
Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter