It's BONUS day in the Landau Tiki Bar this week. We're featuring The Best of "Pickleball Chronicles with Traver". Even if you're not a pickleball enthusiast, you'll really enjoy this episode. Six fun-filled and heartfelt stories. Traver West joined me on the show about 2 years ago. He works at Pickleball Central, the world's largest pickleball company in the world. We have fun every month just talking about the sport we both love...PICKLEBALL. Enjoy our 6 favorite segments of "Pickleball Chronicles with Traver"! Valentine’s day, sweet customer anecdotes Playing in adverse conditions How my DJ career has helped in pickleball Being a good pickleball partner Turning a bad run around The growth of Pickleball
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28:43
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28:43
David Johnson: The King of Pickleball Industry Begins His Second Act
Carl finally got a chance to interview one of the leaders of the modern day pickleball industry -- David Johnson. What a wild ride! He takes us from the early days of computer programming, website design to even the first online funeral business site. But it's the launch of Pickleball Central in 2006 that gets everyone's attention. David and his wife Anna started by literally talking to one new pickleball player / customer at a time from their kitchen table. They ultimately built the largest pickleball company in the world with revenues of $40 million dollars a year. It's a super fun journey through the evolution of pickleball to the sale of his company that grew along with the sport's wild popularity. Now David's second act is giving back to the industry with his International Association of Pickleball Facilities (IAPF). You don't need to be a pickleball enthusiast to enjoy the episode. David gives great advice for someone that wants to take their career experience and build it into a meaningful second act. • More about David Johnson: https://www.pickleballconsultinggroup.com/about • More about Association of Pickleball Facilities (IAPF): https://pickleballfacilities.org • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/david-johnson-interview-the-king-of-pickleball-industry-begins-his-second-act • Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die • "I Used to be Somebody World Tour" -- SOLD OUT! https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour • Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe
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56:14
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56:14
Meet the (Un)Retirement Experts: Joe Casey & Judi Nadratowski
We've got a special "two for the price of one" today! This is our annual "Ask the Experts" episode. It's an interesting pairing. The first expert is Joe Casey who is considered the GOAT of retirement podcasters. He's been the host of Retirement Wisdom for 10 years and has produced over 350 episodes. He's a true pioneer in the Retirement Industry. He was one of the first Executive Coaches and Retirement Coaches before it was actually a thing! He's seen every misstep and shares his own personal challenges. Despite Joe being a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan, we still loved hanging out with Joe. And so will you! Joe's Interview: [03:20] Judi Nadratowski is a rookie (Un)Retirement Expert. But she's coming in strong with incredible practical advice, as a writer and blogger who shares her journey through 6 years of retirement. She had an executive position at an International Law Firm for 40+ years. Yes, she worked at the same company for her entire career and had done zero planning about what she was going to do post-career. Anyone who is nearing the end of their professional career is going to learn so much from Judi's advice about what the future can hold for you! She's simply a delight! Judi Nadratowski Interview: [29:50] • More about Joe Casey: https://www.retirementwisdom.com/joe-casey/ • More about Judi Nadratowski: https://www.retirementcommentaries.com/about-me/ • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Meet-the-UnRetirement-Experts-Interviews-with-Joe-Casey-and-Judi-Nadratowski • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die/ • Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide/ • "I Used to be Somebody World Tour" -- SOLD OUT! https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/ • Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe
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1:12:35
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1:12:35
Nick Mueller: Mr. World War II Museum -- Co-Founder & Former CEO
Carl visited one of his favorite cities in the world -- New Orleans and had the privilege to interview the amazing Nick Mueller, co-founder of the World War II Museum. You do not need to be a history buff to love this episode. Nick was contemplating his first (un)retirement in 1990, when he and Stephen Ambrose (best-selling author and celebrity historian) met over a bottle of sherry and discussed the idea of starting a World War II Museum on a historic site right there in New Orleans. The original idea was to raise one million dollars and have a modest warehouse museum by the water. Thirty-four years later, they have raised $400 million and now operate one of the world's best museums, right in the middle of New Orleans. Nick was the founding CEO of the museum (after his first career) and just retired again last year at age 84. He's a remarkable person and the museum is an incredibly moving experience. Along the way he's made friends and has garnered significant contributions from celebrities Tom Hanks, Tom Brokaw and Steven Spielberg. Please make sure to listen to the last 6 minutes of the interview. As Nick talks about the lessons learned from WWII, Carl asks him where he thinks our country is headed now. His thoughtful insights are so inspirational and he gives us some needed hope for the future. • More about Nick Mueller: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/about-us/our-team/museum-founders/gordon-h-nick-mueller • Nick's new book Preserving the Legacy: Creating the National WWII Museum: https://lsupress.org/9780807184493/preserving-the-legacy • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Nick-Mueller-Interview-Mr-World-War-II-Museum-Co-Founder-and-Former-CEO • Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die • Join the "I Used to be Somebody World Tour": https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour • Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe
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54:30
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54:30
Wayne Schmidt: A Traveling (Un)Retirement Adventure 92 Countries and Counting!
Probably anyone who loves to travel has thought at one point about what it would be like to travel the entire world. Everyone has that thought but who would actually do it? This month's guest Wayne Schmidt and his wife Sally quit their jobs in Australia -- sold their house, cars and all their worldly possessions and started their journey in 2017 and have never stopped. Yes, 92 countries later they are living the (un)retirement dream life. Wayne says he's made every mistake possible but has no regrets. They eventually figured out a lifestyle that works for them. They are "Digital Nomads" that work 2.5 days a week offering a unique business model by providing marketing consulting for ten accounting firms. And the rest is adventure time. It's been one crazy eight years of adventure! Wayne has some very helpful travel and life advice for us all. It's a super fun and thought-provoking conversation. • More about Wayne and Sally Schmidt: https://www.traveldinestay.com/blog • Forbes Article about The Schmidts: https://www.forbes.com/sites/garystoller/2025/02/17/digital-nomads-improve-marriage-by-traveling-to-92-countries • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Wayne-Schmidt-Interview-A-Traveling-UnRetirement-Adventure-92-Countries-and-Counting • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die • Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide • Join the "I Used to be Somebody World Tour" to Croatia in 2026: https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/croatia • Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe
I Used to Be Somebody inspires 50+ year olds to build their (Un)Retired good life. Each month we interview cool, inspiring people about their retirement challenges and why and how they figured it out—turning this phase of life into an incredible, rewarding reality.
It's for people who don't want to retire--they just want to do something new that is more fun, less grind, and more meaningful. Our guests have created amazing Second Acts! Oh, and there's a little talk about Pickleball.
New Zealand