Kick Ass In Life

Since we're all working from home these days, you might have experienced some lulls in your productivity. It's hard to stay productive when you can't plan for the future and each day feels similar to the last. Today's episode should hopefully address that and give you some tools to be more productive.  My guest today is Jeff Sanders. He is a productivity expert. He is the host of the show the 5 a.m. Miracle Podcast and a book by the same name. He got started by testing ways to be even more productive in his own life. We talk about how you can work most effectively in this new situation. How can you block distractions, guarantee focus, be amped up for the day to get stuff done while you’re stuck at home. We talk about how to maintain focus, establish specific work times, how to win your morning, how to deal with the afternoon slump, how to still achieve your goals and so much more. KICK ASS IN LIFE FB: https://www.facebook.com/kickassinyourlife KICK ASS IN LIFE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/kickass

Maria Gavriel is a career coach and author, and she helps her clients have an awesome life by doing what they love. Marias’ path to coaching wasn’t easy. She always enjoyed coaching but found it a challenge to make a business out of it, especially when she had a successful business. When she felt like something was missing, she went back to coaching. In today's episode,  she's sharing her tips for how to move in the direction of your dreams.   We talk about how to listen to your inner GPS for what direction to move in, how to be in charge of your own professional success, how to clarify the vision for a direction you want to move in, how to create micro-goals for yourself and how to find accountability so you actually get it done.  KICK ASS IN LIFE FB: https://www.facebook.com/kickassinyourlife KICK ASS IN LIFE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/kickassin.life SHOW NOTES:   http://kickassin.life/show-notes/maria-gavriel  NEW EBOOK KICK ASS WITH YOUR MONEY: https://amzn.to/

We throw around this term "dream career," but you might be wondering "What’s possible?" Is a dream career attainable or is it a pipe dream?  I know I’ve wondered what’s possible- especially once you find yourself on a certain path for a certain amount of time. Do you need to stay on that path or can you pivot into something that will bring you more joy  - is there anything out there that might bring you more joy you’re not paying attention to right now? It’s hard to know when you’re on the right path. But in truth is there is no right path. You will never be 100 percent sure the path you’re on is the right path. And that’s ok. That’s why we’re here to ask questions. What we pay attention to matters and so does asking the right questions. Which is what today is about. My guest has some action-orientated ideas to help you start making goals and taking incremental action so you can start heading in the direction of a career of your dreams. Dia Darling is the podcast creator and host of Creatives Crushi

Being frugal gets a bad reputation. Being called thrifty or economical or, God forbid, cheap is just such an insult. It makes everyone think of their super miserly friend who won’t pay his share, is stingy with tips, and who is always mooching off of other people. Why did that one person have to give frugality such a bad reputation? Frugality can actually be kind of fun.  Today we’re talking about how to be frugal -- and why it’s important. How to save money by simple tricks and hacks and swaps to utilizing deal and discount sites. If you do everything on the list, it will be impossible not to start saving toward your goals. I created this episode before the Covid 19 outbreak but it's important to find ways to be frugal more than ever - especially when the economy is in such a tailspin and jobs are uncertain.  I’m the deal person in my friend group. I’m the person with the Google doc of all the happy hours in the city and will happily share it around. I know of the free, cheap, and fun activiti

Are you saddled with student loans? It's an awful feeling. It could feel like you’re in a deep hole and that doesn’t have the tools to get out. The path to paying it off may seem endless. Today's episode aims to help you start feeling in control of your student loans.   We also talk about credit cards, which can be useful, but they can also be super sketchy. They’re a powerful tool when used correctly, making commerce more convenient and easy, but they also offer a lot of temptation to spend more than you have. If you are debt-free, credit cards might be a good tool to track your expenses, build your credit score, and offer a layer of security so you don’t have to carry around cash everywhere. If you treat credit cards like the tool they are and pay them off every month, you’ll be one step closer to building a credit history for yourself. Here are some things you should definitely know about having credit cards. In today's episode, we’re talking about both how to pay off student loans and how to use cred

If you don’t negotiate your salary, you’re leaving money on the table - there are these calculations that say that you can leave from half a million to a million on the table each year. That’s insane!  That’s money that’s just waiting for you to take. Denise Liebetrau wants you to get paid what you’re worth. And the only way to do that is by asking. That’s what we’re talking about today. Getting PAID through successful salary negotiations.  Denise runs prosper consulting LLC which helps her clients be successful in salary negotiations and shes' sharing her secrets with us.  In today's episode, we talk about how you can frame your negotiation, do the research so you have the information to be successful, how to lead with a business case, how to frame your accomplishments and results, how to frame to your manager, how to be visible and how to answer the why in the negotiation. This is super actionable information you can take into your next salary negotiation - either at your current job or at a

Imagine the CEO of your dream job company just walked into the elevator. You now have 16 floors to make an impression, get noticed, and get hired. What do you say? Do you panic, convinced that this person won’t care, is too busy, too important, or not interested? No! You have 30 seconds to be bold and get noticed. What do you do? Ok, so maybe this rarely happens in an elevator, but an elevator pitch serves a very specific purpose, whether you’re physically inside an elevator or not. Elevator pitches help you briefly outline who you are, your experience, and what you’re looking for. This pitch could happen anywhere you’re meeting new people—at networking event, a bar, waiting in line to buy coffee, you name it. Networking opportunities happen a lot. So, hone the pitch, craft it to be really spectacular, and practice. You want to quickly and concisely tell someone new who you are, what you do, and what you want. Today we're talking all about how to craft your elevator pitch. We talk about the importance of an e

Katy Olivera of the Collegehood Advice Podcast wants you to succeed in your college experience. This episode is both for those who are in college and looking to maximize their college experience and includes good takeaways for all of us looking to maximize the opportunities we’ve been given. Katy started the podcast after working 15 years in higher education in various roles and she found that there was a need to empower students to harness their potential and embrace who they are professionally and personally. So often college can be transactional -  get into a good school, take good classes, get good grades. Yet that leaves a whole world untouched. So she’s shaking that and finding ways to help students build the life they want. In today's episode, we talk about specific ways to maximize the college experience - but you won’t get time management hacks and tricks here. You will get actionable information to take advantage of the full range of the college experience. We’re talking about how to use colleg

Happy New Year! I’m so happy to be back with you. We talk so much in this podcast about our careers. How to make more money, how to network and much more about how to advance your career. Whether or not you make goals and career resolutions, a new year offers you the ability to take a step back and ask why. Why are you doing what you’re doing? What is your motivation? That’s what we’re going to talk about in today’s ep. Are you on the right path? Answering this requires you to ask the right questions. Are you even asking the right questions? Even when you're searching for a new job, We can all find a new job but will you be happy with that direction? When the newness wears off, will you be satisfied? If you don’t set an agenda, someone else will set an agenda for you. Better curb that by start asking yourself the right questions.  In this episode, we talk about how to design your life, how to ask the right questions to get to the answers to start uncovering a more fulfilled life, how to find your passion

Have you ever wondered out how to approach an informational interview? Meeting someone cold can be so intimidating. You've done the initial reach-out so it's great when that person says yes to a coffee to share their knowledge with you. Next it's time to maximize your conversation with that person.  I was so impressed with Emma Rechenberg. She’s a fellow Mizzou grad and she did a cold reach out to me to meet her for coffee and talk about her career. She moved to NYC without a job and we had a great informational interview. I enjoyed our conversation and her specific questions so much that I wanted to share that conversation with you. We talk about everything: How to tailor your resume and  apply to different types of jobs How to create an online portfolio for yourself How do you directly reach out to the folks going through the applications or how do you keep going in the time frame where you’re in limbo waiting to hear back? How to stand out in an interview and leave a good impression How

So you got a new job or internship - awesome. Those first few months are critical to show up, work hard and make a good impression. But how do you do that exactly? Even if you’ve had another internship or job, every job is distinct. During your first few months, your goal is to get the lay of the land. You want to take stock in everyone, what they do, and—most importantly—how they work. But you also want to make a kick-ass impression and underscore why they hired you in the first place.  We talk about how to make those first few months count from observing everything, to how to communicate, to what you do if you make a mistake and even how to manage your stress of starting a new job.  KICK ASS IN LIFE FB: https://www.facebook.com/kickassinyourlife KICK ASS IN LIFE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/kickassin.life SHOW NOTES:  http://kickassin.life/show-notes/firstmonths NEW EBOOK KICK ASS WITH YOUR MONEY: https://amzn.to/2pcoBYJ Send me a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kick-ass-in-life/mess

I spoke with Shannah Compton Game all about MONEY. She’s the creator and host of the Millennial Money podcast and her goal is to help you talk about and deal with money because everything in life revolves around money. It’s too true!  Whether it be your career, relationship or future goals you have for your life -- money is often at the center whether or not we talk about it. Today we’re talking about it. We talk about how to know your numbers, how to give every dollar a roadmap and purpose, how to invest or save when you’re still in debt, and how to change your money mindset for maximum earning potential and financial freedom.  KICK ASS IN LIFE FB: https://www.facebook.com/kickassinyourlife KICK ASS IN LIFE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/kickassin.life SHOW NOTES:  http://kickassin.life/show-notes/shannahgame/ NEW EBOOK KICK ASS WITH YOUR MONEY: https://amzn.to/2pcoBYJ Send me a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kick-ass-in-life/message Email me: kickassinyourlife@gmail.com --- Support

Rachel Rudwall is a travel host, content creator, writer, producer and photographer, but simply at her core, she’s a storyteller. She’s traveled all around the world including all continents and 70 countries. She shares how travel drives her as she’s inspired by the human interactions that fuel her and teach her as well as the landscapes that keep her invested and grounded. She recently became an Explorer’s Club fellow, alongside explorers such as likes of Teddy Roosevelt, Elon Musk and Buzz Aldrin. What is so cool about Rachel is she was determined to set out a path for herself by creating her own opportunities by traveling and hosting on her own. That then led her to tell stories for media outlets, brands and publishers. I love Rachel’s perspective on work and how to stand apart in your industry. It’s clear she puts thought and effort with the choices she’s made and has done it through consistent, dedicated work. We talk about how to create your own opportunity, how to network by creating authentic connecti

Negotiation is hard. You are awesome for even trying! Many people don’t and they lose out of thousands of dollars over the long term. Don’t settle—you know how hard you’ll work. It would really suck to get in a job you’re working your ass off for, just to know Jim in the cubicle next to you with the same job and title gets paid $10k more because he asked for it. Would you be happy about starting a new job under those circumstances? It’s also financially smart in the long term. By not negotiating to start with your first job, you can lose out on hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run. Don’t leave money on the table. They expect you’ll negotiate. It’s all part of the process. In this episode, we talk all about how to set yourself up for success when negotiating your salary. We talk about how to determine what to ask for in your salary, how to strategically ask so they say yes, the additional negotiables you can build a case for (think vacation, title, flex time), how to build up your confidence to mak

Nissar Ahmed is a career guru. He runs Careermetis.com which offers resources for job seekers and freelancers including a podcast, tools, a job board and information to succeed in the job search. From starting out in a career in sales to running his own business today, Nissar has a lot to share on entrepreneurship, the job search and more. In this episode, we talk about how you can skip the traditional job search process, how to create a dream career, not just a dream job, how to start a path in entrepreneurship and how to fall in love with the process, which will lead to the outcome you want. So many good takeaways for all of the job seekers and dreamers out there.  KICK ASS IN LIFE FB: https://www.facebook.com/kickassinyourlife KICK ASS IN LIFE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/kickassin.life SHOW NOTES:  http://kickassin.life/show-notes/nissarahmed/ For More on Career Metis:  https://www.careermetis.com/ Send me a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kick-ass-in-life/message Email me: kickass

A resume is THE most important tool in your marketing and branding toolbox, but most people are lazy and do a not-so-great job of writing one. Their resume looks like everyone else’s, includes generic duties and responsibilities, and invariably flies under the radar of a recruiter. Boring resumes simply don’t get noticed. They go straight into the black hole of applications. You need to create an excellent one (and it’s really not that hard—I promise!). Think about how recruiters see your resume. They typically spend less than six seconds on each resume they review—six seconds! That’s not a lot of time. At all. If you’ve gotten through the black hole and a real person sees your resume, congratulations! That’s a huge win. Now you need to have a kick-ass resume that lasts past those first six seconds and gets you an interview. In this episode, I talk about how to craft the perfect resume that gets noticed quickly. From talking about your job wins to designing it, your resume is the NUMBER ONE tool in your toolb

Laura Meyer is the founder and CEO of a startup helping companies with their Amazon strategy. She originally moved to NYC without a job and started strategically looking for opportunities through networking, cold calls and more and eventually found her way to Amazon. What she learned at each step allowed her to start and run her own successful business called Envision Horizons, which she started at 25 and is thriving today. In this episode, we talk about how to shamelessly network, how to kick ass in the interview process (hint-- if you do what she says you will get the job), how to create such a great impression that they will pay you what you’re worth.. She also shares what she looks at in candidates when she makes hiring decisions when it comes to resumes, presentation and getting noticed. If you want to get past the black hole of applications and get hired fast, this episode is for you. KICK ASS IN LIFE FB: https://www.facebook.com/kickassinyourlife KICK ASS IN LIFE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ki

Preparing for an interview is not easy. You have so much going on during the job search and you've finally gotten an interview - yay! You want to make a great impression and arrive prepared and confident. But it's hard to keep the stress at bay. And there is nothing worse than a bad interview where you feel off, don't have the answers to their questions and where you keep stumbling over your thoughts (or worse, not having any thoughts at all). In this episode I talk all about how to prepare for an interview. From doing the right research on the company to the key questions you need to prepare for, to what to wear, this episode answers all of your top questions on the in-person interview. You'll arrive confidently and make a kick-ass impression and hopefully get the job offer!  I've also created an additional resource for how to prepare so email me if you'd like it at kickassinyourlife@gmail.com.  KICK ASS IN LIFE FB: https://www.facebook.com/kickassinyourlife/ KICK ASS IN LIFE INSTAGRAM: https://www

The job search process is not easy. What’s super frustrating is the lack of responsiveness of companies after you apply to the "black hole of applications". Once you apply you don’t know where your application goes.  Shireen Jaffer is working to change that. Shireen is the co-founder and CEO of Edvo, which she calls your job search on autopilot. It’s a venture-backed startup that works as a matchmaker between companies and candidates to close the gap and to fast track the interview process. Shireen has always wanted to help candidates navigate the job search, whether it be her friends and advising them to network and make real connections or a company that does that work for you. We talk about how to make real connections, how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, how to leverage your existing networks, and how to add value to those connections, How to leverage the power of the internal referral and how the one-click apply is not leading to the outcome you want - it is not about how many applications you su

I’ve gathered your questions! You've emailed me wanting advice on the job search process. You've asked how to get a job. How to get noticed. How to find a more fulfilling career.  In today's episode, I do my best to answer your questions based on my personal experience. I answer:  A recent grad who just moved to NYC and would like some advice on how to get a producer role at a large company  Someone who can't get anyone to give a second look to her resume, even after revising it multiple times  Someone who is not fulfilled in his current role and would like to find a more creative job but feels STUCK   A journalism student eager for the first year but unsure what to major in and how to find internships  You're never alone in questioning your career, your path, your industry or your job. It's good to ask these questions! I want to help you. I do this for you. I only want you to kick ass in life!  KICK ASS IN LIFE FB: https://www.facebook.com/kickassinyourlife KICK ASS I