An Uncluttered Life

Episode #31 is coming to you from Istanbul, Turkey: Today we're talking about how to merge your experience and goals to build a dream. You don't have to start from scratch or throw out your past to create a new future. Most of what has gone into building who you are now can be repurposed to create what you want to be in the future. Our guest today is Nathan Agin, a seasoned actor who has now gone into producer mode to create and host a television show about finding healthy food no matter where you are. Nathan has figured out how to be healthy anywhere, and is sharing his insights on how he went from actor, to world traveler, to starting his own cooking show. Find out more about Nathan at NonstopAwesomeness.me.

Starting something big is a time filled with excitement, fear, joy, fun, and endless possibilities. We're talking about the moment when you commit to a big life change (going after a big dream) and the emotions and considerations that go into it. To help us explore this subject, we're joined on the show by a couple who have just begun their own big dream. Canadians Andrew Matheson and Alison Cornford-Matheson are the brains behind Cheeseweb.eu, a site dedicated to English-speaking expats living in Belgium. They recently decided to change their lives completely and travel the world in an RV with their 2 cats, Orange and Buddy. You can follow their planning and adventure at CamperCats.com as they march towards a 2016 departure date. They are also a great example of how our book, Dream Save Do, can help define and take the steps towards your own big life change as they are proof that it works. We should also point out that we were able to interview them them in person at their beautiful home in Brussels as we si

Many of us believe that happiness is a result of what happens to us each day and put a lot of the responsibility on outside forces. In this episode we confront this idea head-on and dispel these concepts in the process: Equating happiness to what other people have in their lives Waiting for things to be perfect to enjoy the life we have Blaming others / taking responsibility for others Along with our guest, Britt Reints, we discuss how to get more happiness in your life by choosing to focus on yourself more and realizing what makes you most happy. In the process you'll learn how to stop letting others determine/influence your emotions. In the process we'll provide you actions you can take now to start leading a happier life. Our guest today began her own happiness journey after a diagnosis of depression and a concerted effort to blow up her marriage. Countless hours of therapy and a 10-month family road trip in an RV helped Britt Reints redefine happiness on her own terms. Now, she writes and speaks to othe

Let's face it, making friends as we get older is tough. Where do you find them? How do you strike up a random conversation that blossoms into a long-term friendship? Plus, with so little time available how do you keep up with those good friends you already have? Going after any big goal requires the support of good friends to be your support system and route for you each step of the way. Today, we're talking about how to make and keep friends in the midst of a busy schedule. We are delighted to be joined by Carlin Flora, the former features editor of Psychology Today and the author of the book, Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are. She's appeared on Oprah, The Today Show, CNN, and now on our show, An Action Plan for Dreamers, meaning she's totally made it. Carlin's book combines scientific rigor with warm human stories to show us the unexpected ways our friendships influence our lives. You can find out more about Carlin and her book at CarlinFlora.com.

Imagine if you were living the dream right now that you had when you were 13. A little scary, isn't it? We laugh at the thought of staying true to those dreams because it's silly in retrospect. But we don't give ourselves the same leeway when it comes to adjusting our adult dreams. Today's guest is going to share how his dreams have adjusted – or been adjusted for him – over time and how this has given him a better understanding of what he really wants in life. You'll love his story of reinvention and flexibility. Joining us today is Srinivas Rao - an entrepreneur, surfer, dreamer, and founder of the popular podcast BlogcastFM. He is a man who defies labels and has charted his own path in life and business. Since starting BlogcastFM in February 2010, he’s interviewed nearly 400 bloggers, authors, and entrepreneurs to assist others in starting an online business. His latest project is The Instigator Experience, a conference for agitators like himself. Find out more at theinstigatorexperience.com.

Lots of people think minimalism and simplicity means giving everything up to live in a stark place. The vision is one of deprivation, and it’s part of the reason you might be reluctant to explore it. But simplicity really boils down to focus – focus on the kind of life you want to live and the possessions, activities, and relationships you need to make it happen. When you know what you want, simplicity is the most direct path to get it.  In today’s show, we’re discussing how to live a more simple life, no matter how many possessions you own. Simplicity is just another word for focus, and today’s expert is going to show us how to get more of it. Courtney Carver started Be More with Less in 2010 to document how simplicity was changing her life. 18 months later she left a 15+ year career in advertising and marketing to focus on helping others live a simpler life and do work they love. She’s one of our favorite simplicity experts on the Internet, and today she’s going to share how simplicity can enhance your life

Today we’re sharing the fears, insecurities, and self-doubt we have when putting our words and ideas out into the world. We’re guessing you may have these as well as you work to create new projects, write that book, or start a company. You may hear those voices telling you – “It’s not good enough.” “No one is going to by this.” “Why are you wasting your time?” In this episode we’re here to let you know You Are Not Alone. These anxieties are more common than you think and exist in authors, entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to share new concepts with the world. The big surprise, it does not matter how often you do it, the voices just don’t shut up. Our guest, Tim Grahl, is the founder of Out:think, a firm that works with authors to build their platform and sell more books, and is the author of Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book. He works with many of the top authors in the world, including Daniel Pink, Barbara Corcoran, and recent podcast guest Pam Slim, and has helped to laun

What is the secret to completing a big project? How do you move from concept to actually doing? Today we're exploring how to get from the idea you have for something great to the actual process of making it happen. It is a challenge that so many people face that it has spawned entire industries and hundreds of books have been written on the subject. However, the answer is surprisingly simple and we reveal it all today in the show. We are joined by the talented and always busy creating, John Lee Dumas. John is the host of Entrepreneur On Fire, where you can learn lessons from today's most inspiring and successful entrepreneurs every day of the week at EOFire.com. We were excited to be on his show a few weeks ago and loved his energy and thoughtful questions. In today's podcast John provides his insights for taking that first step and we turn the tables on him to discover what he would create with only a week and $500. You don't want to miss the wisdom he shares.

On this week's show we're talking all about freedom and how to create more of it to do the things you want most in your life. . The first step is to identify what you want freedom from, and for many of us it is the stuff filling every space in our homes. Decluttering is more than simply going through a series of steps, we must first deal with that feeling of just not knowing where to start. The emotions of parting with items that mean something to you, as well as the logistics of how to sell and dispose of all that stuff. We tackle it all in the conversation and are excited as well to be offering a solution. This week we are pleased to launch a new offering, Declutter Clinic, specifically designed to help you create the freedom you desire. This 4 week course provides a step-by-step plan to jumping in and decluttering your home and life. We're also sharing how we reached the point where we HAD to declutter as well as introduce you to others who have made big changes in their lives after removing the clutter. 

What keeps you up at night with worry? How much do you alter your dreams to work around all those worries? Today we're talking to you, the worry-worts. Those of us who let those nagging voices which simply won't stop reminding us of the things which concern or scare us. We're going to address them head on by sharing our own worries and how we have learned to tame them while living the lives we love. In addition, we are pleased to be joined by Torre DeRoche, the author of Love with a Chance of Drowning. Torre shares how her won worries almost kept her from going after the biggest adventure of her life. You won't believe how much worry controlled her life or the crazy turns she encountered once she decided to say yes. Torre's story and message of moving beyond worry is a mix of harrowing tale and inspiring memoir. You won't want to miss her tips and suggestions for getting over being a worry wort.

Have you toyed with the idea of starting your own business, but never moved forward due to doubt or uncertainty? Do you struggle to see yourself as an "entrepreneur"? Do you want to start something but have no idea what business to start? Today's show is all about you then. We're diving into what it means to be an entrepreneur, the ways to get started small, and why you ARE the best person to start that business. Listen to hear how martial arts, Justin Bieber, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe can each provide motivation and actions to help you take the steps towards your dream business. We also dispel the myth of "overnight success". We're honored to be joined on this episode by best-selling author Pamela Slim. You probably know her from the bestselling book and website, Escape from Cubicle Nation. She's coached thousands of budding entrepreneurs in businesses ranging from martial arts studios to software startups, and she's even worked her magic on gang members. If your dream is to go from employee

Going after big goals in life is rarely without challenges. But the line between a challenge and an excuse can often be quite thin. We all face different restrictions, challenges, or physical ailments which could make the ability to success more difficult...but not impossible. This episode we're talking about overcoming those obstacles and going forward in spite of the challenge. We'll introduce you to a few people who have overcome their obstacles to create the lives they crave. Then, we're joined by author Josh Hinds who shares his own inspirational story. Josh has become a public speaker, a role he never thought possible given his battle with Tourette's Syndrome. However, with persistence and an action plan to success he has followed his passion and will share how he did it. What is it you will do to live out loud?

When was the last time you asked for what you wanted and heard "no" as the response? We believe that you are not asking for enough if you've not heard "no" at least once in the last week. A key to going after the life you want is getting out there and asking people who can help you in your effort. The bigger the need, the more you need to ask. The more you ask, and the bigger your requests, the chances are you are going to get some "no's". Today we're talking about why you should strive to get more "no" responses, how this helps gets you closer to your dream, and how to leverage the "Art of the Ask" to create the life you crave. We're discussing failure, confidence, and the importance of persistence in your quest towards the goals you've established. Today we're joined by author and entrepreneur Andrea Waltz. Andrea is the co-author of Go for No!: Yes is the Destination, No is How You  Get There.  She has made her mission to liberate people from fears of failure and rejection so they may achieve their goals a

On your path to the life you crave you are likely to encounter unexpected surprises, events or calamities. Whether it be a volcano eruption, an unexpected job loss, or the illness of a family member life has a tendency to surprise us. Learning to respond to these situations with a level head and determined action can help to get you back on track faster and leap to help those who need it (including you). Today we're talking about disasters - how to handle them when they occur and how to recover afterwards. It's a challenge to think about, but being prepared is key to moving through any sideways situation.

The greatest competitor you’ll ever come up against is self doubt. ~John McGrath Do you dream of starting your own business? What's standing in the way? What's holding you back? Why do you continue to put off your vision until "some day", knowing it may never come? Too often we let self doubt, excuses, and a lack of confidence keep us from creating the business we envision. We let the voice of fear creep up and stop us from moving forward. This week we talk about how to you will overcome your concerns by building a strong network of supporters, feeding your spark of an idea, and putting one foot in front of the other to make it a reality. We're pleased to be joined again by the wonderful Corbett Barr, founder of Fizzle.co, a training forum for entrepreneurs with solid advice, high quality videos, and experienced teachers. He's back this week for part 2 of our interview where we share: How to prepare to become an entrepreneur When to hire people Learn why Betsy compared Corbett to Magic Mike (include link t

“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t so you can spend the rest of your life like most people cant.” - Anonymous One of the most common dreams we hear is the desire to start a business. Many of you have a vision of working for yourself, building a thriving business you are passionate about, and sharing your creations with the world. However, so many people never take the first step towards the life they crave because of fear, self-doubt, and a feeling of being completely overwhelmed. In this episode we talk about how you can start your business small and deliver advice for overcoming the fear by giving you steps you can take. We are pleased this week to have Corbett Barr drop by the podcast. You probably know him from the incredibly useful site, ThinkTraffic.net. We discuss why people put off their entrepreneurial dreams and how to start your business for as low as $250 and a few hours each week. Plus, learn the #1 question Corbett gets from potential entrepreneurs and

Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others. - Booker T. Washington Bringing more interesting, supportive, and healthy people into your life is a key component as we go after our dreams. In this episode, we talk about how to connect and bring these people into your life and gain their support for the life you crave. During the conversation we share how we stay connected with our growing network in addition to constantly looking at how we can connect them to other people/opportunities. We are honored to have Bob Burg join us to talk about success and the importance of shifting your focus from getting to giving. As you build your network think first about how you can help others and what you can provide to help their needs. This shift will greatly improve your relationships, grow your network, and provide you with greater happiness in your life. You can download the first chapter of Bob's book, The Go-Giver, at Burg.com. 

Going after any big change requires stepping outside your comfort zone and learning to be a bit bolder. However, bold is a word we throw around without truly understanding the definition. To us, being bold means realizing you are scared but moving forward anyways. In this way boldness is different for each of us and does not require comparing your life and bold living to anyone but yourself. We discuss how to live more boldly and share some of the future plans we're making that scare us. In this episode, we're joined by Tess Marshall of The Bold Life. Tess shares her insights for living a fearless life based on her experience as a fear-shattering, risk taker, author, blogger and courage coach. Tess delivers practical advice and shares her open experiences in her personal quest to help you to "Be Bold". As you seek to become more bold as you go after the live you crave, check out Tess' e-course, "Take Your Fear and Shove It: A Step by Step guide to Be Bold, Play Big and Shine Bright".

Life is Short. Live Your Dream. Too often we talk about the importance of going after our dreams, but then say “now is not the time” or “I’ll get to that ‘some day’”. But what if you did not have the time? What if your opportunity to live your life to the fullest was limited? Would that change your decision and propel you into action? Today we’re talking about taking stock of your life, realizing your mortality, and taking action NOW towards what you want most. It is more than simply talking about what you want, but clearly defining and making it a reality. What happens when, at 18 years old, you are told you won’t live until 30? How would you respond? Patrick Mathieu shares his powerful story of how we chose to live his life more fully in light of terrifying news. Hear how it motivated him to connect more deeply with those around him and live a life without regrets. You’ll discover lessons you can apply to ensure you are living the life you crave every day.

As a special bonus Betsy is giving her commencement address for the rest of us. With graduation season upon us she asks us all to reflect back on the dreams we had in youth and why we let them slip away. This is the speech to shake you out of your comfort zone, re-ignite the spark you had, and go after living your dream no matter your age.  A transcription of this podcst can be found on the Married with Luggage website at http://www.marriedwithluggage.com/2013/05/30/advice-for-dreamers/.