Millennialism

Enjoy this final episode of 2020 where we reminisce about the ups and downs of the past 12 months and our goals for the upcoming year. Happy New Year everybody!

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In today's increasingly fast-paced world, entire days breeze by without us stopping to really experience them. We allow individual moments to blend into one blurry snapshot, and constantly ask ourselves where time has gone and why we can't have more of it. But every now and then, time almost seems to stop and all of our periphery thoughts and worries disappear. In this episode, we talk about some of those moments. 

An Aries and a Leo walk into a bar... This week, Katey tries to convert Adam into an Astrology-believer. We discuss how/if our own Zodiac signs reflect who we are, how we can use them to guide us, and if we should trust them to tell us who we're compatible with.

We talk about our political upbringings, Katey reports live from New York on election day and Adam shares his thoughts on how the world should move forward.

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@katey_hannaby

In 2018, Irish author Sally Rooney published her second novel, Normal People. It quickly became an international bestseller and Rooney was hailed as the first great millennial novelist for her stories of love and late capitalism. In April this year, Hulu and BBC released a 12-episode TV series based on the novel. The story follows the relationship between Marianne Sheridan (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell Waldron (Paul Mescal), as they navigate adulthood from their final days in secondary school to their undergraduate years at Trinity College. It is a beautiful look at two highly intelligent but socially complex people who are constantly mislabeled and misunderstood by everyone around them except each other.

It can be hard to capture the words and feelings of a book into a visual and emotional piece of film, but this show really does. Sensual, tender, and intimate, it gently clutches your heart and makes you remember what it means to feel the complexities of love. Quiet and subtle, Normal People is simply a beautiful piece told perfectly by two brilliant young actors.

I watched the entire show last week and I have not been able to think about anything else since. So, I asked my friends, Katey Hannaby and John Gleeson to join me here today to discuss this beautiful coming-of-age story and what it taught us about love and relationships. We compare and contrast the themes of Normal People with our own lives, experiences, trials, and tribulations.

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We like to think that we have come so far as a global society, but there is still so much injustice, hate, and racism out there. In the last few years, hate crimes have been on the rise. White supremacists have been emboldened. Anti-immigrant rhetoric has intensified. We condemn these awful examples of prejudice and bias and hate, but systemic racism is something different. It is less about violence or burning crosses than it is about everyday decisions made by people who may not even think of themselves as racist. As sociologist Eduardo Bonilla-Silva has said, "The main problem nowadays is not the folks with the hoods, but the folks dressed in suits." Systemic racism persists in our schools, offices, court system, police departments, and elsewhere. Why? Think about it: when white people occupy most positions of decision-making power, people of color have a difficult time getting a fair shake, let alone getting ahead.

As a white European straight male, I have never had to experience any of the prejudice many of my Black, Asian, and Hispanic friends face daily. For me and everyone else like me, it has taken the death of another innocent man and global protests for us to really reflect on these issues. To better understand the racism, prejudice, and hate millions of people in the U.S. and around the world face every day, I invited my friend Kevin Taylor to come on the podcast to talk about his personal experiences. We discuss Black Lives Matter, how you can show support for the movement, and our thoughts on people protesting for “Blue Lives Matter.” Kevin also shares some personal stories and examples of times he has been affected by systemic racism, his deeply rooted fear of being pulled over by the police, and what it is like growing up knowing that the cards are stacked against you.

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Kevin Taylor

Have you ever stopped to think about how much control social media has over your life? Measuring the self against others is normal, and in some ways, it can be helpful. The inspiration you feel about someone else's achievements can rev up the motivation to improve your own life. The recognition that your abilities are a notch above someone else's can deliver a boost to your self-esteem. But comparisons can be harmful when they leave you feeling chronically inferior or depressed. Social media is like a canvas. You can choose to portray your life however you want to. So, what will people naturally do with their social media accounts? They will put up only the best pictures of themselves and always make it look like they are having THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES. I think it is obvious to most people that social media is not an accurate representation of life, but it is important to have open conversations about it.

In this episode, I am joined by influencer, YouTuber, and blogger, Anna Reid, to discuss how we can develop a healthier relationship with social media and our current media landscape. We also talk about social media and its relation to mental health issues, anxiety, and false or unrealistic expectation on what a good life looks like. Over the last few years, Anna has amassed over 178.000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, Anna’s Analysis, where she uploads video essays and analyses on social media culture and many other interesting topics. Her most viewed video, “how social media is ruining your life… and you don’t even know it,” has over 2.5 million views and 176.000 likes. Check out her van life conversion series if you want some realistic travel inspiration.

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Anna Reid

Do you ever wish you were someone else, perhaps someone not afraid to do all the things you dream of doing?

“Somebody once told me the definition of hell: On my last day on this earth, the person who I became will meet the person I could have become, and those two people are total strangers.

“But somebody also once told me the definition of heaven: On my last day on this earth, the person who I became will meet the person I could have become, and those two people are identical twins.” — Ed Mylett

I have heard so many stories of older people full of regret for not giving their dreams a real shot. This is something I fear myself. In this episode of Millennialism, Jordan Gross and I talk about realizing one’s full potential, living a life with no regrets, forging your own path, society’s definition of success vs our own, and much more. Jordan’s wise yet simple approach to many of the big, existential questions is truly inspiring, and hearing his thoughtful anecdotes made me think about what is actually important in life.

Jordan Gross is a 2x startup founder, writer, leadership coach, speaker, and corporate refugee turned trailblazer for positive change, optimism, and the belief that our daily actions can help us all overcome stress and anxiety. He has worked with corporate executives and employees at Google, Amazon, and various startup companies on behavioral leadership change. He has spoken on hundreds of podcasts, in libraries, at conferences, and in high schools around the US. He is also a top contributing writer on LinkedIn and Medium in the areas of Leadership, Self-Improvement, Inspiration, and Personal Development. His latest book, The Journey to Cloud Nine, (which you can now buy), has been hailed "as meaningful as The Alchemist; as brilliantly told as The Life of Pi, and as inspirational as Eat, Pray, Love.”

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Jordan Gross

This week I’m honored to be joined by Brian Pennie, a Ph.D. candidate in neuroscience and lecturer at Trinity College and University College Dublin. In his new memoir, Bonus Time, Brian writes about his journey from a 15-year heroin addiction to a post-recovery career as a speaker, neuroscience lecturer, and Ph.D. student.

In this episode, Brian shares his story of overcoming addiction, how everyone can implement the lessons he learned, and the importance of affirming your own values (his include “boldness, connection, open-mindedness”), asking yourself the right questions, and visualizing the things you want to achieve.

Brian believes he was given a second chance (Bonus Time) in life and he does not intend to waste any of it, which makes me appreciate his wanting to come on the show even more. He is an expert on the nature of human suffering and has given more thought to the meaning of life than anyone I’ve ever talked to. I hope you have the chance to listen through the whole episode because Brian sprinkles wisdom throughout the whole conversation.

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Brian Pennie

This week I am joined by the lovely Adrien Behn, a professional storyteller, public speaker, writer, and world traveler. She’s been featured in The New York Times and BuzzFeed listed her podcast, Strangers Abroad, as one of the best travel podcasts of 2017. Strangers Abroad started out as a series of conversations that Adrien had with the wonderful people she met while backpacking throughout Latin America for 5 months and in her new season she delves deeper to explore topics such as loneliness, anxiety, and identity.

In this episode, Adrien shares her experiences as a solo traveler and how she lived abroad for 7 months and never paid for a bed (on top of making rich connections with locals). We also get into some unexpected conversations about the creative process, the complexity of strangers, and finding yourself and your identity in loneliness.

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Today I’m joined by none other than Robert Farrington, a personal finance expert and founder of The College Investor. He is also a contributing writer for many major newspapers and his articles on investing, student loans, side-hustling, getting out of debt, and building real wealth have been featured in The New York Times, US Today, Forbes, and Huffington Post just to name a few. He started The College Investor in 2009 as a forum to discuss the myriad of financial issues facing young adults. The website gets over 3 million monthly visitors and helps millennials all over the world get out of student debt and start investing for their future.

We rarely talk about personal finance, managing student debt, and loans in school, so this is the perfect opportunity to get a quick crash course in all of it. This episode could change your financial future, so turn up the volume, press your earbuds or AirPods in even tighter, and enjoy this conversation with Robert Farrington.

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Robert Farrington

Today I am joined by Robyn Agoston, an intrepid world traveler, multi-careerist businesswoman, and all-around amazing human being. She’s spent the past two decades working and adventuring all over the world collecting an encyclopedia worth of fascinating stories along the way.

During our chat, we tackle many big topics, such as the positives and negatives that come with living a nomadic lifestyle, finding a balance between a career and stability versus adventuring and traveling, and the sacrifices that come with never truly settling down.

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Robyn Agoston

Today’s guest is none other than Orlando Rios, an online marketer, author, podcast host, and producer. With over a decade in digital marketing under his belt, Rios is a veteran in online strategy from the early internet and beyond. Throughout his career, he has worked on campaign collaborations with the WWE, UFC, Star Wars, Marvel, and legendary podcaster Joe Rogan. This episode is a crash course in everything you need to know about launching your own podcast. We answer questions such as: how do you make an intro, how do I market my podcast, do I need to invest in any equipment, and how do I find guests? If you’ve ever thought about starting your own podcast or just want to know more about it, this is the episode for you

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Orlando

Today I am joined by the founder of the eco-conscious lifestyle brand Lovers of The Sea, Omar Itani. A little over a year ago, Omar was living and working for Google in Dublin, Ireland. It was the kind of job many hungry professionals dream of; he had three free meals every day, laundry service, and a dentist right in the office. Aside from the perks, however, Omar realized his job was unfulfilling and decided to quit, start his own business, and become a full-time writer and entrepreneur. Quitting your job to follow your passions is often romanticized in film and on TV, but Omar writes about his honest experience in his article, “I Left My Job at Google And Started My Own Business — Here’s the Truth About Entrepreneurship.” Omar shares the everyday struggles of running his own company and following his passion. The article has been viewed by more than 35.000 people and generated almost 4.000 likes since October 2019, so clearly, Omar has something worthwhile to say. In this episode, Omar and I spoke about his article, and how he motivates himself to push through the hard and lonely days of solo entrepreneurship, following your dreams, dealing with expectations, and the sacrifices you have to make.

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Omar

Today I am joined by Lina Aquino, a Brazilian-born tattoo artist living in Brooklyn, New York. She first moved to the U.S. to pursue a degree in Fashion Design at Parsons School of Design, but after graduating in May 2017, her life took a turn when she discovered the world of tattooing. We talk about what led Lina down that path, why people get tattoos, some current tattoo trends, and how our perception of the art form has changed over the last decade. Lina also discusses tattoos and their relationship with mental health and identity. If you’re thinking about getting a tattoo or just want to know more about it, I highly recommend you listen to this episode and check out all of Lina’s work.

Lina Aquino

This week, I am joined by Jaxon Burton, a training coach and personal trainer based in Auckland, New Zealand. Jaxon is also an MNU-certified nutritionist and runs his own gym, Jax Fitness, which focuses on (in his own words) inspiring smart fitness and rad gym culture. In this episode, we talk a lot about vegan and plant-based diets; how to make sure you get all the nutrition you need, how to thrive on it, and what inspired us to ditch meat in favor of plants. Jaxon also clarifies some common misconceptions about veganism and shares some great information that will save you a ton of research time. I had such a great time talking to Jaxon and he is living proof that a vegan diet is not only better from an environmental and in most cases ethical perspective, but that in combination with the proper training, you can achieve the physique of a Greek god, and live a great life in general. If you don’t believe me, just head over to his Instagram page @jaxon.burton and see for yourself.

Jaxon Burton

Today, I am joined by my good friend Diogo Barboza. He is an entrepreneur and an overall inspiring guy. When we recorded this, he was on vacation with his girlfriend in the south of Brazil, but he was nice enough to make some time for me. Diogo was on the podcast about three months ago talking about his philosophies on business and life, so if you like this episode you should check that out as well. In this episode, we talk about setting yourself up for success and growth for the year ahead. Research shows that you are 40% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down, so Diogo and I share some of the goals we wrote down for 2020 and what actions we will take to fulfill them.

Helpful advice:

Evaluate the previous year

1. Write down things you did well over the past year.

2. Things you were not happy with.

3. When you were the happiest and what caused it.

4. When you were the saddest and what caused it.

5. What new skills did I develop?

6. What situations did I handle particularly well?

7. How did I make a positive difference for others?

Set goals for the next one

1. Who do I want to be and what realistic step can I take next year to be closer to that?

2. Write down personal, professional, educational, fitness, and perhaps spiritual goals for next year and revise them in July if necessary. 40% more likely to achieve goals if you write them down

3. Be specific!

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We live in a world where basically anyone from anywhere can start a movement, gather people around a certain issue, organize events, and even start riots. The accessibility we have, not only to the Internet and technology, but by extension, to each other has significantly changed our lives in ways we can't begin to imagine. In today’s episode, I talk with Dr. Ellen Bernhard about civic media and how it has changed over time. Dr. Bernhard has a Ph.D. focused in Culture and Communication and recently published her first book, Contemporary Punk Rock Communities: Scenes of Inclusion and Dedication, which I will link in the description if you want to check it out.

Media and technology are subjects that continue to fascinate me and it’s interesting to think about how it may affect our lives in the future. I have voiced some strong opinions about the negative impacts of social media, but through this conversation, it becomes obvious that while social media has its issues, it’s also an incredibly powerful tool for marginalized groups and people living in oppression to get their voices heard. Dr. Bernhard shares some interesting stories about that, and I think you’ll enjoy everything else she has to say as well.

Welcome to another episode of Millennialism. Today, I am joined by Omar Gallaga, who is a technology, culture, and entertainment writer working online, in print, podcasts, and other mediums. He has written articles for Rolling Stone magazine, CNN, The Washington Post, and The Austin Statesman, but now works as a freelance writer. I brought him on to talk about one of his most recent articles, “Netflix Originals Are Just Bad Enough to Destroy It,” about the increasing competition among different streaming services and the problem of mediocre content. In the last few years, we have very much embraced the streaming culture and it seems like everyone in 2019 has a Netflix account, so I really think you’ll find this conversation interesting. Omar also shares some of his favorite movies and shows right now, so make sure to stick around for that and much more.

Please let me know what you think of this episode and don’t forget to rate, comment, and share the podcast with your family and friends.

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In today’s episode, I talk to one of my College professors and recent Fulbright U.S. Scholar Grant recipient Dr. Nora Madison. Dr. Madison, or Nora as I’m allowed to call her has a PhD in Communication, Culture & Media from Drexel University and has presented her research around the world, including an invited talk at Sweden’s International Science Festival in 2013. In 2015 she was invited to the White House to participate in a policy briefing focused on the cultural and material needs of the American bisexual community as a part of the White House's LGBT initiative under the Obama administration.

Whether you see Jaida walking on the street, in the hallways of your school, on the dance floor of a nightclub, or anywhere else for that matter, she always appears confident and 100% herself. I’ve been wanting to talk to her for a long time about how she can always have so much energy, always appear happier than everyone else in the room, and how I can be more that way myself, because who doesn’t?! Jaida shares some of her thoughts on why she is the way she is and also gives some useful tips on how all of us can strive to be more ourselves.

Earlier this year, Katey Hannaby and Pedro Oranges returned from a 6-month backpacking trip around South America, so I wanted to chat with them about their experience, their favorite places, some challenges they faced along the way, and how they planned everything. They also talk about how long-term traveling tests your relationship as you get to experience each other’s highest highs and lowest lows. Katey also shares some very interesting insights about what it’s like to live in New York City, what it takes to actually make it there, and the pressure of living in an environment where everyone is constantly focused on advancing their careers.

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What's it like running a business with your girlfriend or boyfriend? Most people would probably advise against it, but not today's guest... Clayton B. Allen is a filmmaker/director from Philadelphia, but about a year ago he moved down to Florida to start a Media Production company together with his girlfriend, Kimberly. In this interview, he shares what it's like running a business together with his girlfriend and how they manage to separate work from their relationship. He also talks about what motivated him to quit his "safe job" as a video editor in Philly and start his own company, and much more. Enjoy!

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