career Archives - Page 6 of 9

October 4, 2021October 4, 2021

EP 8: Becky Switzer: This is Real Life

I want to welcome back to Clipping Chains Becky Switzer, a Bozeman, Montana-based climber who delivered a great written interview about a year ago. When I first met Becky in summer of 2020, I was living out of a tiny A-frame camper with my wife and dog. We were passing through Bozeman, and I remembered someone I sort of knew from Instagram who might help me with some local beta: Becky Switzer. I asked if she’d be willing to meet for coffee, and much to my surprise, she was. This was the first pre-interview discussion where I wished I was recording. It was during this conversation that I resolved to eventually start a podcast, and over a year later, here we are.

September 20, 2021September 19, 2021

EP 7: Luke Mehall: The Dirtbag Dream is Not Enough

Today I’m happy to welcome climber, author, and founder of the Climbing Zine, Luke Mehall. Luke is the kind of climber I thought I would never reach with a platform focused on saving, investing, and financial wellness. Luke existed for many years as a self-proclaimed hand-to-mouth dirtbag. He lived on the road for months at a time, barely making ends meet. But as Luke puts it, “the dirtbag dream is not enough.”

At a low point in his life, Luke started publishing stories about the climbing life that didn’t have a home in the major publications. The Climbing Zine was born, which has now grown into a thriving business and paved a path for Luke’s personal and creative freedom. Now he’s turning his focus to expanding the business and facing all the real-life adult stuff so many of us will find familiar: buying a home, saving for the future, and generally evolving with the roller coaster ride that is the modern world.

August 23, 2021August 22, 2021

EP 3: Chris Mamula: One Bite at a Time

Today I’m excited to bring you an interview with writer and outdoor enthusiast Chris Mamula. Chris is a well-known figure in the personal finance community, particularly the Financial Independence community.

Chris worked as a physical therapist before achieving financial independence and leaving his career in 2017 at age 41. Shortly thereafter, Chris—along with his wife and daughter—moved across the country from Pennsylvania to Ogden, UT, where they now reside.

While Chris and his family yearned for an adventurous life out west, he’s been candid about the challenges of changing too much too soon. We discuss those challenges and how he’s worked through them. We also discuss financial and lifestyle choices that are unique to the outdoor community. Finally, we address the importance of options and flexibility for an unknown future.

Plus much more!

August 4, 2021August 9, 2021

EP 1 🎙: Mike Tritt: Rocking in the Free World

Today I’m very happy to bring you a live, in-the-flesh interview with Mike Tritt, a Denver-based climber who achieved financial independence and retired from his mechanical engineering job at age 35.

Mike now climbs full-time and supports his fiancée Suzanna in her career, which she has chosen to continue pursuing. In this interview we discuss how Mike juggled climbing with a career and then walked away from mandatory work in his 30s. We address how Mike is striking a balance between a home-based relationship and the desire for long trips on the road. Finally, we take on the subject of purpose in life without traditional work. Plus, so much more!

July 12, 2021July 12, 2021

Why Trying to Quit My Job (Sort of) Made It Better

It’s been almost exactly 18 months since I quit my job and watched the last corporate world elevator close behind me.

Reflecting on that time, it’s clear that my best career years—those defined by rewarding assignments, autonomy, increased paid time off, and better work/life balance—all came after I knew I was going to leave. Weird, huh?

How can we explain this paradox, and do we even need the drastic measures of financial independence to improve our work life?

June 28, 2021June 28, 2021

Should I Quit My Job? I Want to Climb!

“Should I Quit My Job for Climbing?”

I get some form of this question from time to time.

“Hi Mr. CC. I really don’t like my job and I think I’ve saved enough for a road trip. What do you think about leaving this job and traveling for a year or more? Will an extended road trip hurt my finances?”

Well…let’s take a look.

June 21, 2021June 21, 2021

The New Research on Income and Happiness

We’ve all heard the phrase “money doesn’t buy happiness.” However, new research suggests a strong correlation between income and well-being, with no apparent ceiling. How can we interpret these results and reconcile what we’ve always been told about money and happiness?

May 31, 2021May 29, 2023

Six Important Reasons Not to Retire Early

When I first discovered financial independence, the thought to retire in my 30s warmed my soul like a batch of hot stew on a late February night. If I could rely on the wondrous and fantastic powers of compound growth to build a bitchin’ snowball of money, I’d never need to work again.

And it was never about the money. It was about the life. I yearned for a life spent in pursuit of passion, surrounded by a vibrant and meaningful community, with copious time to immerse in nature, climb, travel, and most importantly…sleep. The rigid and mechanical pipeline of school to work was cracked and beginning to leak.

So, what’s not to love?

May 17, 2021May 18, 2021

The Shocking Truth About Sleep

New research presents a natural solution to being smarter, stronger, slimmer, wealthier, more attractive, more likable, less anxious, depressed, and generally far healthier. Sounds dreamy, eh? Is there possibly a natural homeopathic method to improve all these arenas in life; some sort of fountain of youth? The answer is a resounding yes, and the solution is simple: We simply must improve the quantity and quality of our sleep.

But you might already know that.

So how do we actually sleep more and sleep better in a world that wants us awake?

May 10, 2021May 15, 2021

Steven Dimmitt: Taking the Big Leap

Helloooo friends, and welcome to Clipping Chains. This is your host Mr. CC. Wait…does that sound familiar? If so, you—like me—might find yourself listening to a lot of climbing’s refreshing new podcast: The Nugget Climbing Podcast, by Steven Dimmitt.

Today, we’re flipping the mic, so to speak. Steven shares with us how he decided to leave his traditional job as an engineer, move into a van, and start a podcast about life and climbing. He is cultivating a livable income from a product often given away for free. Most importantly, we discuss how Steven is honing a craft that simply cannot be ignored.

It begs the questions: What does it take to make this a repeatable path?