I Used to be Somebody

Hang onto your hat this month because Carl interviewed former ad wiz Tom Marks. We go on a wild retirement story. Tom's first couple of years in retirement he summed up in in one word "horrible". He moved into a 50+ community that he hated. He made a rigid list of activities that he "thought" he should be doing in retirement. He felt like he was on a hamster wheel and didn't know how to get off.
It wasn't until he figured out that writing was what gave him peace and purpose. He just completed his second best-selling book, Coming of Age in Retirement, An Advertising Executive's story of Enlightenment and Revelation. It's full of insights into how to find your path to true happiness in retirement. He does so with candor and great humor.
A bonus is hearing about Tom's father Melvin Marks who was a true celebrity in the advertising world. He was the marketing genius behind the success of Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn.
• More about Tom Marks: https://thepeacefulretiree.com/author/tom-marks

• Tom's newest book: https://www.comingofageinretirement.com

• Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/tom-marks-interview-survived-40-years-in-the-ad-biz-to-a-coming-of-age-in-retirement

• 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: https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/all-tours

• Subscribe to the the I Used to be Somebody Newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

Take a mini-retirement during your career? Take a retirement during your retirement? What? These are crazy ideas. But are they?
Author Jillian Johnsrud explains this concept and why it's so good for you. Host Carl is a believer and has personally taken 3 long breaks during his career. It helps you avoid burnout and gives you time and space to really think about what you want to do next in your career and life.
Jillian has personally taken a dozen mini-retirements in 20 years. She explains how to create your own sabbatical, including how to talk with your employer about it, how to financially afford the sabbatical and even how to to plan for it. For entrepreneurs, she talks about how you can take a break without hurting your business, too.
Jillian goes on to talk about the many benefits of taking a mini-retirement during your retirement. What? You'll need to listen in. 
• More about Jillian Johnsrud: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Jillian-Johnsrud-Interview-Learn-How-To-Take-Mini-Retirements 
• Jillian's book Retire Often: https://retireoften.com/book/
• Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Jillian-Johnsrud-Interview-Learn-How-To-Take-Mini-Retirements 
• 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: https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/all-tours 
• Subscribe to the the I Used to be Somebody Newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

Carl gets to talk about "magic" for the first time ever on the show. Kevin Blake made a 180-degree change in his working life. He moved from a promising career in digital marketing, working with big time clients (JanSport Backpacks, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Duraflame, Intel and more), to working as a professional Illusionist / Entertainer.
He always had a passion for performing magic and took the big leap, turning his fun side gig into a lucrative and totally rewarding career. His AHA moment came during the pandemic, when he performed online magic shows multiple times a day for companies. He made an insane amount of money in just one month -- December of 2020 (you'll need to listen to believe).
Kevin has competed and performed on a national level -- America's Got Talent and Penn & Teller: Fool us. He is the star 3-4 nights a week as The Illusionist at The Palace Theater. And he's absolutely living his dream!
More about Kevin Blake: https://kevinblakemagic.com


Kevin's Show, The Illusionist at The Palace Theater: https://sanfranciscomagicshow.com


Episode Content: Thttps://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/kevin-blake-interview-mystifying-second-act-as-an-illusionist


Sponsor by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide


Sponsor by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die


I Used to be Somebody World Tour: https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/all-tours
Subscribe to the I Used to be Somebody Newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

This month we tackle a topic we haven't talked much about...Forced Retirements. Anthony Napolitano had a very successful career in the high-tech world. Then he was laid off not once, but twice by two big corporations right around when he was 50 years old. That was two years ago, and since then he has plunged into the world of early retirement with great enthusiasm, (which is an understatement.) His friends joke that he doesn't have a "Type A personality," he has a "Type-Anthony personality". 
Anthony has an analytical mind and devised a personalized Life Retirement Plan. He bases his plan on the four pillars of Health, Mindset, Purpose and Relationships. He even grades himself every year.
He was a star baseball player in high school and then went on to play four years of college division 1 baseball at Loyola-Marymount College. So in (un)retirement, Anthony is a natural as a high school coach. He loves being the assistant coach for the girls volleyball team.
He also works as a wine educator at a local winery in his tiny mountain town of Julian, CA, just outside of San Diego. He does a little bit of everything at the winery, from picking grapes to hosting wine tasting events.
You will love Anthony. He's full of wonder and personality. Although Carl points out that he is the star of the podcast, Anthony clearly steals this month's show.
• More about Anthony Napolitano: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonynapolitano
• Anthony's Blog "For the Napos": https://forthenapos.com
• Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/anthony-napolitano-interview-rorced-into-early-retirement-and-now-a-renaissance-man
• 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 Tours: 
https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/all-tours
• Subscribe to I Used to be Somebody newsletter: 
https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

It takes a long time to hit 100 episodes when you're a monthly podcast. So we're pretty excited. Carl wanted to get the perfect guest. He chose Fritz Gilbert the OG, who is the top voice in the modern retirement movement. Fritz is a retirement expert/book author/speaker/do-gooder and the author of award winning "The Retirement Manifesto". He's written 400+ articles and 1 million words about retirement and how to live your very best life in this next phase of life.
Fritz totally delivers! He's high-energy, funny and gives incredible insights into helping you plan a smooth transition to and once you're in that retirement how you can make it even better. 
• More about Fritz Gilbert: 
https://www.theretirementmanifesto.com/about/ 
• Fritz's Fritz's Retirement Manifesto "Ten Commandments of Retirement:
https://www.theretirementmanifesto.com/the-ten-commandments-of-retirement/ 
• Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Fritz-gilbert-interview-mr-retirement-author-of-the-retirement-manifesto 
• 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:
https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/all-tours 
• Subscribe to I Used to be Somebody newsletter: 
https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe