Uncage Yourself (Matt Doan)
Explorez tous les épisodes de Uncage Yourself
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09 Aug 2022 | 49: [REPLAY] Should You Side Hustle? | 00:15:16 | |
The universe is speaking: start your side hustle. Everyone's doing it, right? Actually, let's pause and rethink that. Not everyone should ignite this "parallel path" outside of their corporate career. Listen to this episode to help you understand if side-hustling is right for you. Make corporate work for YOU. Apply for our cohort course: Uncaged Academy. Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TAKEAWAYS 1. Know the difference between "investments" and "side hustles." 2. Side-hustling requires you to adopt a business owner mindset. 3. Following your passion isn't what makes a side hustle effective. 4. You'd better make sure it gives you energy. 5. Shifts in the global economy make side-hustling a "high upside, low downside" bet if you play the long game. *** RESOURCES Go deep: try the Uncaged Secrets newsletter | |||
| 10 Jan 2023 | 67: Addition by Subtraction | 00:17:13 | |
My coaching clients are wildly successful by any traditional measure. The problem is they’ve got no room left in their cup for anything new — however much they might desire it. They’re always maxed out. The only way forward is addition by subtraction. Make this principle core to your career and life philosophy. By default, your cup should be more empty than full. Mind blown? Listen carefully. *** 👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 19 Nov 2024 | 137: Recapping Our First Retreat | 00:14:41 | |
Matt and Cecilia are broadcasting live from their first-ever coaching retreat! Uncaged clients gathered from multiple countries to learn and grow as a community. They explored mental and practical strategies for graduating from corporate life to entrepreneurial freedom. Tune in for an update on their business and the 5 key takeaways from this private event. *** 👉 Corporate Graduation™ Training 🟢 Put Your Job On "Autopilot" (Playbook) 🗓️ Book a Dream Scan Chat *** RESOURCES | |||
| 31 Jan 2023 | 70: Strategic Ignorance | 00:15:12 | |
Contrary to popular belief, it's good to be ignorant. You only have so much capacity in your mind, so you need to be hyper-selective about what gets into your head. In this episode, I cover a critical life skill: strategic ignorance. And I share my strategies for how I apply this idea, professionally and personally. *** 👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 21 Feb 2023 | 73: Amp It Up | 00:15:19 | |
How do you compress your personal growth from decades into days? Apply the "amp it up" philosophy: increase the tempo, raise the standards, and narrow the focus. Learn exactly how in this episode. *** 👉 Masterclass: end burnout & own your time 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 24 Jan 2023 | 69: Engineer Your 9-5 for Freedom | 00:18:20 | |
You don’t have to “endure” or “pay your dues” at your 9-5. You can create freedom right here, right now — converting your day job into a utility. You can configure your experience for more time, autonomy, and income. And this can all be in service of the badass life you dream for your Future Self. *** 👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Episode 64: Convert Your Job Into a Utility "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 27 Sep 2022 | 55: Andy Storch - The Ownership Mindset | 00:57:18 | |
When you take extreme ownership of your career and life, magical things happen. Remember, you care more about your life and career than anyone else. Author and speaker Andy Storch joins us for a masterclass on listening to your inner voice and taking full ownership of your career and life. 📬 Get the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS 02:35 Andy’s evolving definition of success 04:50 Dependency on external circumstances 08:10 Andy’s childhood & backstory 12:27 Entering the corporate world 16:29 Accelerators for self-transformation 20:08 Ownership mindset (being entrepreneurial) 21:27 Drifting 26:42 Modern view on professional development 31:18 “I don’t have time” 32:31 Personal brand = reputation 39:26 Andy’s cancer battle 45:05 It happened for me, not to me 49:40 Rapid fire questions 54:49 It’s on you: extreme ownership *** TAKEAWAYS
*** RESOURCES Own Your Career Own Your Life (Andy’s book) Owning Your Journey with Cancer (free guide) | |||
| 05 Jul 2022 | 44: Rules of Engagement for Your 9-5 | 00:14:07 | |
It’s easy to show up to a new role or company and wait for them to hand you work. It’s hard to walk into an environment and shape your experience. But it’s the latter approach that’s going to generate the most rewarding outcomes — for you and the organization. This episode lays out a strategy for creating your own Rules of Engagement, including my "top 5" battle-tested rules. Weekly newsletter for Uncaging yourself: Wednesday Wisdom Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TAKEAWAYS 1. Know yourself 2. Shape your role 3. Fixate on incentives and outcomes 4. Control high-energy zones 5. Establish bright lines *** RESOURCES Set up a discovery call for coaching with Matt Live Uncaged: try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter | |||
| 06 Dec 2022 | 63: Billy Keels - Leveraging Corporate for Your Dream Life | 00:47:40 | |
Billy Keels is one of the “awakened” ones. After years of undeniable success in the corporate world, he intentionally started leveraging those gains to fuel his bigger, more badass life. Now, as an entrepreneur, Billy helps highly-paid professionals take control of their lives and create wealth through cash-flowing, tax-efficient investments. He’s a fountain of actionable wisdom! *** 👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS 02:48 Comparing U.S. & Europe 06:06 Importance of environment 09:18 The allure of default paths 11:23 Awakening 16:05 A fresh view on corporate life 19:55 Doing corporate on your terms 24:02 Outcomes over hours 27:20 Scratching that entrepreneurial itch 34:26 Failing forward 37:32 Rapid fire questions *** TAKEAWAYS 1. Default paths can quickly become your identity. Therefore, we must consciously decouple from them. 2. What we’re surrounded by, we adopt. 3. Corporate life can be a great accelerator to your career, but we must control that ascent. 4. Don’t just plug into the corporate machine like everyone else. You can deliver results (more efficiently) on your terms. 5. No one really cares about your work hours, only the value you produce. So use that to your advantage. 6. Too many people are “theoretical ninjas” — passively consuming good information without implementing it. 7. Healthy person = healthy worker. Focus primarily on being the former; the latter is a byproduct. 8. “The next logical step” is often the most illogical thing to do. 9. “It’s not about the money. It’s about how you’re investing your time in the moments that matter the most.” *** RESOURCES How Highly-Paid Pros Can Pay Less Tax First Generation Capital Partners "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 23 Aug 2022 | 51: The Power of Regret | 00:14:53 | |
"No regrets." You've seen it tattooed on arms and in song lyrics. Enough — let's stop trying to suppress this natural human emotion. Instead, let's learn to harness it for our advantage in work and life. Apply the power of regret. See our cohort course: Uncaged Academy. Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS 02:15 Framing 02:36 How we view regret 04:47 Types of regret 09:33 A strategy for using regret 12:24 How Matt uses regret to his advantage *** TAKEAWAYS 1. Per the American Regret Study, 82% of adults experience regret — spanning a wide range of domains of life (family, career, education, finances, health, etc.). 2. Four types of regrets: Foundation, Boldness, Moral, and Connection. 3. Why regret matters: stability, growth, goodness, love. 4. Regret is a valuable emotion — it's telling you something. Learn to harness it. 5. Strategy for harnessing it: (1) Learn from PAST regrets, (2) anticipate FUTURE regrets, (3) apply that knowledge in the PRESENT. *** RESOURCES Book: The Power of Regret (Daniel Pink) Top 5 Regrets of the Dying (Bronnie Ware) Go deep: try the Uncaged Secrets newsletter | |||
| 05 Jul 2021 | 6: Rethink Credentials and Stop Messing with Gatekeepers | 00:18:31 | |
OVERVIEW Gatekeeping has long influenced our careers, and it's limiting upward progress for most people. Today, Matthew talks about the five (5) key points that will help aspiring digital leaders better understand the gatekeeper model and how to rocket past the "standardized credentials" game by betting on their uniqueness. Accelerate your professional rise with the new course: Digital Career Flight Plan. Try it: https://matthewdoan.com/flight TAKEAWAYS When America's revolutionary generation died off, dramatic changes in the education system occurred. Standardized education began to push everyone towards the mean. Credentials feel good on the surface, but that doesn't directly reflect capability. In most cases, it just proves we're good at passing standardized tests. It's a game of compliance imposed by gatekeepers. By paying the gatekeeper's game, you'll end up in a crowded space, looking like everyone else. In contrast, a digital leader creates immense impact, steps outside the norm, and champions uniqueness. We're seeing trends of people bypassing traditional higher education systems all together and finding more creative and direct ways to develop monetizable skills. Some industries are dropping degree requirements as a result. Shifts in education and employment encourage uniqueness. The gatekeepers are losing power; now is the time to move beyond credentials. You don't need permission to ascend to higher levels of leadership. RESOURCES Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw | |||
| 07 Jan 2025 | 140: Top 15 Corporate Graduation Lessons of 2024 | 00:22:46 | |
The corporate landscape is shifting in a hurry, causing many to shift focus on graduating this chapter and building premium freedom online. Massive technology and social forces are changing how people work, earn, and live. Here, we cover the top 15 lessons Corporate Graduation lessons of 2024. *** 👉 Corporate Graduation™ Training 🟢 Put Your Job On "Autopilot" (Playbook) 🗓️ Book a Dream Scan Chat *** RESOURCES | |||
| 07 Feb 2022 | 30: A Fresh Take on Imposter Syndrome | 00:10:43 | |
Here, Matt shares his views on Imposter Syndrome, and why we need to start viewing it with a more productive lens. Rather than being down on ourselves for feeling like an imposter, we should let it signal a worthy challenge in life. Ready to dive down the rabbit hole? Download the free Corporate Cage Freedom Guide. *** TAKEAWAYS Humans are wired to seek safety and security — a contributing factor to feeling like an imposter. We should stop calling it a "syndrome," which implies there's something abnormal or wrong with us. A better term: Imposterism. The Spotlight Effect explains that people care far less about your Imposterism than you do (we're all focused on ourselves). Stoicism helps us understand that our imposter feeling stems from artificial feelings, not facts. Be kind to yourself, always realizing you're a beautiful work-in-progress (Imposterism is part of character development). *** RESOURCES | |||
| 02 Aug 2022 | 48: Timely vs. Timeless Skills | 00:08:33 | |
Look around and you'll see people chasing "in-demand" skills and credentials. It's like they're on a hamster wheel. But others seem calmer, in possession of enduring skills that always keep them ahead. This is the difference between Timely and Timeless skills. Which are you fixated on? Make corporate work for YOU. Apply for our cohort course: Uncaged Academy. Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TAKEAWAYS 1. Are you choosing to build skills that legitimately interest you? This matters if you want to maintain energy for decades. 2. Be clear on where the "crowd" is going. Go the opposite way. 3. Timely skills have a short shelf life (usually 2-4 years). 4. Timeless skills (e.g., psychology, persuasion, copywriting) endure no matter the time or context. 5. Build Timeless skills to ensure you're always ahead and relevant, even as our digital world rapidly changes. *** RESOURCES | |||
| 30 May 2023 | 83: Corporate Countermeasures | 00:25:53 | |
When a job dominates your life, most people either endure it or leave. Unfortunately, both choices are costly forms of quitting. Instead, I want you to take intelligent action within your environment. Reclaim your precious time and energy, reshape your role to suit your advantages, and start living a self-directed life (yes, even within the corporate world). Do this by implementing "corporate countermeasures" — proven tactics that'll create freedom for you within the work environment. From there, you'll have the capacity to build a side business, get healthy, and be there for loved ones. Enjoy this highly actionable episode! *** 👉 How to escape the Corporate Cage (8-min video) 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 08 Aug 2023 | 92: [HITS] You Need Skin in the Game | 00:14:01 | |
Need a massive change in your career or life? Passively consuming social posts, books, or podcasts won’t do it. Human psychology shows we only take massive action when the stakes are high. You manufacture “high stakes” by putting serious Skin in the Game for your transformation: money, time, and energy. This one’s a serious wake-up call. *** 👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (5-min video) 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 12 Apr 2022 | 35: Outcomes Over Hours | 00:18:27 | |
We're still battling remnants from the Industrial Age. One of the most notorious (and life-limiting) features is the standard workweek, including the cultural pressures to operate in a "standard" way. Matt argues that one of the keys to time freedom is to let go of the "participation points" mentality where we show up to every meeting and take on an immense workload. The solution? Focus on outcomes, not hours. *** TIMESTAMPS 02:23 Topical overview 03:00 Battling an antiquated belief system 05:42 Negative effects of "playing their game" 07:40 Establishing a contract (with yourself & others) 11:10 Five steps to implement "outcomes over hours" *** TAKEAWAYS 1. The traditional workweek is antiquated, and if you fall victim to its trappings, you're trading off a lot for very little in return. 2. At performance review time, no one talks about the hours you put in — they analyze the "impactful" outcomes you delivered. 3. Choosing "outcomes over hours" is a philosophy for valuing your time — being hyper-efficient with how you protect it at work while redirecting that conserved energy to your actual life priorities. 4. We must understand corporate jobs from a "utility" standpoint to maximize our income and opportunities while not senselessly going "above and beyond" because of peer pressure. 5. Identify the core outcomes you must deliver and ruthlessly adjust your calendar and habits to deliver on these. *** RESOURCES Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter | |||
| 31 Oct 2023 | 101: What to Do When You’re “Done” With Your Career Path | 00:12:33 | |
Your career path might've once brought you joy. But now, you're freaking outside because you can't stand it. Here, we cover:
*** 👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (training video) 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 19 Jul 2021 | 8: Your Curation Superpower | 00:11:07 | |
OVERVIEW We all face a content overload problem. Everything we need for self-development is at our fingertips, but we're drinking from a firehose and unable to focus. Today's most successful leaders know how to cut through the noise and find the signals. They do this by mastering a key skill: curation. Listen in to figure out the why, what, and how of making curation your superpower. For a weekly dose of digital leadership and career advice, try Wednesday Wisdom: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter TAKEAWAYS Before the digital age, people paid to access valuable information. Now, we're drowning in content. To be successful, we need to be intentional with our learning and development. For that, curation is your superpower. With your long-term vision of your future self as a backdrop, follow this step-by-step approach to curate your personal knowledge feed (channels and content). Developing your curation superpower is both intrinsically and extrinsically rewarding. Curation enables you to succeed at multiple levels across your digital career: self, organization, and industry. RESOURCES Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter | |||
| 16 May 2023 | 81: [HITS] Paul Millerd - Awakening From the Default Path | 00:58:57 | |
Paul Millerd, author of The Pathless Path, joins me to talk about "default path" addiction and what it's like to awaken. As former management consultants, we dig hard into this arena too. Enjoy! *** 👉 Masterclass: escape the Corporate Cage 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS 03:12 The Great Contemplation 06:21 How Paul's book affected Matt 08:25 The process of Awakening 09:51 Pre-awakening (most people trapped here) 15:58 Addiction to Default Paths 19:03 Value of an early-career foothold 21:56 "There's a pebble in my shoe" 23:51 Higher stakes if you're a parent 27:10 Understanding life tradeoffs 28:28 The Pathless Path 31:21 Uncertainty as a feature 33:10 Testing boundaries at work 38:31 The great work of your life 41:15 Minimal risk in betting on yourself 44:21 Thoughtful re-entry into corporate life 51:20 Rapid-fire 57:53 What's your "work" story? *** TAKEAWAYS 1. Great Resignation might actually be the Great Contemplation: a rejection of scripted life, healthier conversation about our identification as "workers," and a desire to take control of your life. 2. Rule of thumb: most people you'll meet are asleep (80%), some are groggy (15%), and a few are truly awake (5%). 3. The Protestant Reformation triggered an "obsession" with work, which has taken global hold. 4. Aim of life for people came to find work and then hold on tight to that path. 5. The Default Path feels addictive because the start is so thrilling. Eventually, we stop growing and become sleepy. 6. Instead of doing the work, you eventually find yourself doing performative work (pretending to be valuable). 7. Tough for parents to fake it at work while simultaneously encouraging your kids to blaze their own path. 8. We can't let sunk costs weigh us down. Your life season hugely impacts what you should say "yes" to next. 9. Not knowing what comes next might actually be a feature, not a bug. 10. "If there are clear boundaries [at work], there is also great freedom to adapt and imagine within those lines. These boundaries, however, should always be tested to see if they are actually still real. It takes conscious acts by individuals to test these edges." —David Whyte 11. Great work of your life: continually find the great work of your life (Stephen Cope). 12. Know yourself: deliver targeted value inside your 9-5; push yourself for exponential growth in the outside world. *** RESOURCES Paul's newsletter, site, & podcast Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan | |||
| 08 Oct 2024 | 133: Unpopular Truths of Going Corporate to Entrepreneur | 00:13:12 | |
Let's not kid ourselves: entrepreneurial freedom comes at a price. Here are 9 unpopular truths about what it really takes. These are the lessons I wish I had before starting my corporate graduation journey. *** 👉 Corporate Graduation™ Training 🟢 Put Your Job On "Autopilot" (Playbook) 🗓️ Book a Dream Scan Chat *** RESOURCES Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 13 Dec 2022 | 64: Convert Your Job Into a Utility | 00:08:45 | |
Some people are hellbent on finding a job that completely fulfills them. But that's often a fool's errand. In truth, your job doesn't need to be dripping with purpose and meaning. Instead, you can think of your job as a utility — a resource that fuels your badass life. Dive into this episode to understand the simple shifts required. *** 👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 06 Aug 2024 | 127: The Golden Cage Illusion | 00:18:13 | |
“We are all living in cages with the door wide open.”— George Lucas In this episode, we're looking at the 15 invisible shackles binding you to a golden 9-5 prison. Let's be real: you're your own worst enemy. So let's break those shackles. *** 👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training) 🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 05 Apr 2022 | 34: Welcome to Uncage Yourself (Rebrand) | 00:11:29 | |
In this episode, Matt announces the rebrand of his podcast (formerly The Rising Digital Leader). In line with his new entrepreneurial mission, Matt describes the rationale for rebranding the show. He discusses his professional journey since COVID began, what he learned in the process, and what his personal reasons were for saying goodbye to corporate. Ready to live Uncaged? Download your Freedom Guide. Full show notes & resources: uncageyourself.fm *** TAKEAWAYS 1. Immense power in taking hear-aligned, messy action 2. Playing the same corporate games as everyone else can put life into a tailspin 3. Rather than succumb to the Corporate Cage, we can choose to live Uncaged 4. Multiples types of freedom that we should aim for: Time, Financial, Purpose, Relationships, Health 5. Matt is igniting an ambitious movement: to "uncage" 100K people by 2025 *** RESOURCES Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter | |||
| 27 Dec 2022 | 65: Reflections from 2022 | 00:21:46 | |
I can confidently say that I've grown more in 12 months of entrepreneurship than I did in the last decade of corporate life. Professionally and personally, I'm a completely different person. So I took time to document those lessons, and now I'm passing them on to you. I hope they help. Cheers to a beautiful 2023! *** 👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 29 Nov 2021 | 23: Escaping the Matrix & Seizing Control of Your Career | 00:13:18 | |
We all live in some version of the Matrix — where we take our situation as given. But what would it look like to wake up? To see more clearly and direct your life? This episode is about awakening to the limitations you've subconsciously accepted in your career and doing something about it: creating freedom. Listen in to discover your real potential. Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter. *** TAKEAWAYS The Matrix movie trilogy suggests that everyone is capable of making the choice between the real world and an artificial one. Career-wise, we're taught to choose from an existing corporate system, and just make the most of it. Betting your livelihood solely on "gutting it out" in corporate will leave you miserable. John Marty suggests we deploy a "dual-path" strategy: Utility (corporate) + Authentic Self. Sometimes we're climbing the wrong hill, and we need to have the guts to walk down and start another climb. You can create more freedom in your life if you start embracing self-reliance. *** TIMESTAMPS [1:34] What the Matrix teaches us [2:31] How this plays out at work [3:47] The dual-path strategy [7:20] How Matt is pursuing both paths [9:10] Are you climbing the wrong hill? [10:15] Our real aim: a sense of freedom *** RESOURCES Related episode (#17): Self-Reliance John Marty's "dual-path" video | |||
| 07 Nov 2023 | 102: [The Dad Edge] Breaking Free of the Corporate Cage | 01:13:14 | |
In this episode, Matt Doan guests on The Dad Edge podcast. Mattatt discusses his journey as a business owner and the freedom it has brought him. He talks about his blended family, with three older children from a previous marriage and a two-year-old with his current wife. Matt also shares his joy in coaching baseball and the intensity of eleven-year-old players. He then delves into the life lessons he wants to pass down to his children, both boys and girls. He highlights the significance of understanding that femininity does not equate to being female. Instead, he emphasizes the hidden feminine energy that exists within all individuals. This energy includes qualities such as empathy, vulnerability, and emotional expression. Matt believes that society often teaches boys to suppress these traits, but by embracing them, they can become more well-rounded individuals. His approach to parenting is about finding a balance between masculine and feminine energies. He wants his children, regardless of gender, to feel that they have access to all the qualities and strengths associated with both sides. By doing so, he believes they can lead fulfilling and authentic lives. This Dad Edge episode demonstrates the negative impact of corporate life on happiness and well-being. Matt’s experience of feeling trapped, unfulfilled, and disconnected from their values and priorities is relatable to many individuals in similar positions. The pressure to maintain a certain lifestyle, the demands of work, and the sacrifices made for career advancement all contribute to diminishing happiness. Takeaways:
*** 👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (training video) 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 29 Aug 2023 | 95: How to Put Corporate on Autopilot | 00:22:14 | |
Want to build the next chapter of your career and life? Don’t skip this critical step: put your corporate job on autopilot. Free up significant time and energy to breathe, be, and build something new. All the while, keep your paycheck as a short-term asset. Listen closely to learn how. *** 👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (5-min video) 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 01 Oct 2024 | 132: Space Is the Place (Where Miracles Happen) | 00:14:25 | |
This episode explores the critical skill of creating "space" — time, energy, and mental capacity. It's the essential first step towards any meaningful personal transformation. Discover how this often-overlooked foundation is crucial for building the career and life you truly desire. Learn practical strategies to create this vital space, even within a demanding job. Gain insights on how to lay the groundwork for future success, whether that's launching an entrepreneurial venture or reimagining your current career path. This isn't about work-life balance — it's about creating the breathing room necessary for real change to take root. *** 👉 Corporate Graduation™ Training 🟢 Put Your Job On "Autopilot" (Playbook) 🗓️ Book a Dream Scan Chat 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 09 Jul 2024 | 125: Removing Friction to Accelerate Entrepreneurial Success | 00:09:11 | |
You want faster progress toward big goals: graduating corporate, building wealth, creating your dream lifestyle. But invisible friction is destroying your momentum. Learn to identify and annihilate this stealth force that's stealing your speed — so you rapidly manifest your ambitious vision. *** 👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training) 🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 15 Aug 2023 | 93: Bravely Stepping Out of Your Cage | 00:17:20 | |
“We are all living in cages with the door wide open." —George Lucas This is a straight-talk episode about escaping your cage. Maybe you're succumbing to a daunting corporate culture or you're trigger-shy on building that passion business. Truth is, we subconsciously let our external environments tell us what's possible. No more; you hold the keys to freedom. Let's talk about how to break free. *** 👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (5-min video) 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 30 Aug 2021 | 14: Great Leaders Harness Their Dark Side | 00:13:34 | |
OVERVIEW We all have a dark side. Repressing it only creates internal pain and limits your potential as a leader. In this episode, we learn how tech leaders can understand their "negative" traits and harness them to become a more dynamic and impactful force in their organization. Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter. *** TAKEAWAYS We all have a dark side, but great leaders take the time to understand and use it to their advantage. We're taught as children that letting out negative emotions is bad. This repression compounds over time and stunts our growth as adults. The dark side has its value. Just like the Roman leader Cicero and the entertainer Josephine Baker, we can channel it toward positive outcomes. Become the "integrated human" requires (1) identifying, (2) embracing, (3) exploring, and (4) revealing your dark side. We need to give our subconscious a chance to surface — otherwise, we risk career regret, lost opportunities, and creative suppression. *** TIMESTAMPS [2:12] Our dark side is hardwired [3:30] The great repression (longing for play) [5:01] The impossibility of “golden” leaders [7:26] There’s always a hero & a villain [8:24] 4 steps to harnessing your dark side *** RESOURCES Book mentioned: The Laws of Human Nature (by Robert Greene) Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan
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| 08 Nov 2021 | 22: Elayna Snyder - Channeling Your Individuality | 00:36:25 | |
OVERVIEW We're joined in this episode by Elayna Snyder, Founder of Indigo Collectiv. She focuses on helping thought leaders fuel their strategy by being their authentic selves. She delivers a masterclass on harnessing your individuality. Her premise: your knowledge and ideas need an outlet, and that outlet should create an impact. Improve your LinkedIn game: How to Build Your Hidden LinkedIn Funnel™ in 3 Easy Steps (resource from Elayna) Tired of being "stuck" in your tech career? Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter. *** TAKEAWAYS Our "authentic self" changes based on the context that we’re in. There are many roads to a destination, but they differ in timeline and effectiveness You must make decisions that align with who you are on the inside. A well-shaped personal brand helps you scale your ideas, build meaningful relationships, and create the impact you crave. An established personal brand isn’t a prerequisite to contributing and getting to know the community you want to build or contribute to. LinkedIn is NOT a glorified resume platform or virtual conference; it's a place to be social and create a world of opportunities. *** TIMESTAMPS [6:30] Transcending your credentials [9:09] Client creation [11:25] Applying your “fire” (corporate & side hustle) [13:25] Personal brand: greatest long-term asset [18:00] Shaping your personal brand [19:17] Why & how to harness LinkedIn [21:25] Building your community [24:03] Serving your tribe (& monetizing) [26:55] Your forcing function for growth [28:25] Elayna on the hot seat *** RESOURCES How to Build Your Hidden LinkedIn Funnel™ in 3 Easy Steps (resource from Elayna) | |||
| 23 Jan 2024 | 111: The Exponential Career | 00:10:48 | |
Is your career stuck on an Incremental path? Salary bumps can't keep pace with inflation...let alone your dreams. It's time to make the hyper-jump to an Exponential Career. Learn to:
Break free from the corporate hamster wheel. Create the freedom, fulfillment, and financial abundance you desire. It’s not overnight or easy. But with concentrated effort, you can transition to working on your own terms. So, will you continue the rat race? Or boldly step into an Exponential Career and life? The choice is yours. *** 👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training) 🗓️ Book your breakthrough call 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 04 Oct 2021 | 19: You Don’t Need an MBA | 00:14:39 | |
OVERVIEW For decades, there's been an assumption that you need an MBA to be a business leader. This creates a challenge for rising digital leaders — those that come from technical backgrounds and feel a desire to be an influential force within the organization. Do they need to sink their time and money into nabbing this credential? Today, Matt argues why an MBA isn't necessary for tech professionals while getting to the essence of what we're really after. Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter. *** TAKEAWAYS We've been lulled into thinking an MBA is a "must do" for reaching the highest realms of business leadership. What people really want with an MBA: Mastery, Badges, Attention. “We’ve reached the post-content age. Content is no longer scarce in education. It’s either free or low-cost, and it's abundant.” Millennials and Gen Zs place significant value on community, which will transform the future of education. EdTech platforms, such as those enabling Cohort-Based Courses, are opening faster and cheaper alternatives to the MBA — with similar benefits. *** TIMESTAMPS [3:30] Why people really chase an MBA [5:15] Mastery, badges, and attention [6:55] The problem of self-motivation [8:56] Power of new education models *** RESOURCES | |||
| 23 May 2023 | 82: Goal Activation (Your Missing Ingredient) | 00:12:58 | |
Why are we so slow or ineffective at pursuing our goals? Despite our best-laid plans, we get stuck. The problem is that we lack daily "activation." Learn how to inject the missing ingredient in this episode. *** 👉 How to escape the Corporate Cage (8-min video) 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 19 Apr 2022 | 36: My Journey in Leaving Corporate | 00:31:12 | |
This is a personal and emotional episode. In the months leading up to quitting corporate in March 2022, I recorded my thoughts and feelings. This episode is a compilation of those recordings — a personal journal, if you will. I discuss why I needed to make the leap, including the strategy and mindset that made it possible. I hope it helps you identify the “leaps” worth making in your life. Ready to take ownership of your career and life? I’ve got something next-level for you: the Uncaged Academy. *** TIMESTAMPS 01:35 90 DAYS out from resignation 05:58 60 DAYS out from resignation 09:14 People stuck in their Matrix 11:20 Leaving corporate as a forcing function for growth 13:55 Anticipation (visualization) of Freedom Day 14:38 30 DAYS out from resignation 15:48 Readying to lose my “guaranteed” paycheck 19:01 Feeling “alive” as I’ve cultivated my passion 21:20 7 DAYS out from resignation 24:16 Default Path vs. Pathless Path (Paul Millerd) 26:33 Resignation (Freedom) day 28:02 I resigned from corporate! *** TAKEAWAYS 1. After life fell apart for me, I took control of my corporate situation over recent years and found ways to operate on my own terms. 2. Soon, I was helping others do the same, and I discovered the seeds of a new entrepreneurial business. 3. COVID allowed me to experiment and lay the groundwork for a post-corporate life. 4. Personally, I eventually felt it wasn’t risky to leave corporate. It was riskier to stay — living a “small” life, being undiversified, denying my burning inner purpose. 5. I realized I could model out my net worth, free time, etc. in corporate for decades ahead. That “cap” scared me. I’d rather have uncapped potential. 6. Imposterism (imposter syndrome) took hold early on as I contemplated entrepreneurial life. I had to train my mind to welcome the shift as a worthy fear. 7. Leaving the corporate “safety net” became a forcing function for me to become who I’m capable of being. 8. I had to get comfortable with not having a rigid plan or “ideal results” before taking the leap. 9. I worked with my coach to execute a strategic, well-planned exit from corporate. I wasn’t going to leave my family (including wife and 4 kids) in a tough situation. 10. With massive moves in life (e.g., buying a house, having a kid, starting a business), the timing just has to be “good enough.” It’ll never be perfect. Trust yourself. *** RESOURCES Join the Uncaged Academy (cohort-based course) Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan Related episodes: Self-Reliance (#17), Imposter Syndrome (#30) | |||
| 28 Feb 2022 | 33: Maurice Philogene - The Freedom Fighter | 00:46:17 | |
Maurice Philogene lives a robust life, with a background as a senior executive, real estate investor, restaurant owner, traveler, public servant, philanthropist, and lifestyle design/wealth coach. We spend our time in this episode discussing his driving aim: freedom. A self-proclaimed “freedom fighter,” he highlights what he learned from the corporate world and how we can design a lifestyle that’s just dripping with our version of freedom. Stuck in the Corporate Cage? Download your Freedom Guide. *** TIMESTAMPS 02:16 Love of the Mediterranean 04:29 Moe’s backstory 08:07 Active work, passive income 11:23 The freedom fighter mentality 14:28 Combatting the Default Script 16:31 Maximizing utility within corporate 18:36 Intentional lifestyle design 22:56 Finding door-opening relationships 25:08 Stepping into philanthropy 28:33 Be selfish so you may be selfless 31:26 “A day in the life” with Moe 34:54 Rapid-fire questions 44:49 Closing message *** TAKEAWAYS 1. Once you have enough money to take care of your basic needs, you see that life is not about money at all 2. The five freedom principles: financial, time, geographic, purpose, relationships 3. We are responsible for using our income, experience, and skills to create our version of happiness 4. First and foremost, determine the utility that corporate jobs offer you — then, design from there 5. Be careful fulling into "rent-a-brain" situations; figure out how to conserve time and energy to unleash your creativity 6. It's okay to be selfish...in order to become selfless 7. Seek constant movement: expose yourself to new geographies, cultures, people, ideas, and opportunities to ensure you're always expanding 8. “We feel better as a human [when] we’re accessing the Earth.” 9. Everything comes from new relationships: being around people that are doing things on "another level" 10. Creating wealth can be joyous, as that abundance enables you to give to others *** RESOURCES Connect w/ Maurice on LinkedIn Connect w/ Maurice on Instagram Maurice's investment firm: Quattro Capital | |||
| 27 Aug 2024 | 129: Family, Freedom, Fortune | 00:12:45 | |
Feeling trapped by corporate "success"? This episode explores balancing professional achievement with personal fulfillment. Discover practical strategies for transitioning to entrepreneurship without risking your family's stability. Learn to leverage your skills and methodically build an online business aligned with your values. Listen now for a step-by-step process to break free from the corporate mold and gain actionable insights toward true professional autonomy and personal happiness. *** 👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training) 🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 09 Jan 2024 | 109: Your Future Self Is Begging You to Act | 00:18:12 | |
If the corporate grind has worn you down, there's another path to freedom in the new year:
The right system helps you leverage your corporate past to aggressively create the entrepreneurial freedom you and your family deserve. Don't cling to familiarity and fear — craft your next chapter now. *** 👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training) 🗓️ Book your breakthrough call 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 12 Jul 2022 | 45: Kason Morris - Designing Your Bespoke Career | 00:39:54 | |
Kason Morris is a master of reinvention. He's already redesigned his career six times across five sectors, strategically leveling up his skills in the process. Kason has decades of experience as a learning and development executive in big tech while also serving as a career and lifestyle coach. Here, we talk about design thinking as a principle, the importance of self-reliance, and specific strategies for operating within corporate on your terms. Want to create Time Freedom at work? Here's your guide. Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS 02:57 Career is a design problem 04:50 Kason's life phases & childhood influences 06:39 Building your experimental mindset 09:55 The most underrated life skill 12:03 Applying design thinking to pivot in life 15:07 Exerting your agency at work 20:55 Entrepreneurship while in your 9-5 24:50 Timely vs. timeless skills 29:21 Best & worst advice 33:46 One law for everyone to follow 34:44 If Kason was starting his career now 37:48 Closing message *** TAKEAWAYS 1. Money, meaning, and expression are three levers for harmonizing work and life. 2. Take control of your work environment: influence with and without authority. 3. Build a portfolio career by diversifying your interests and experiences over time. 4. We must take agency in how we approach work and lifestyle. 5. Balance internal and external drivers to maximize your growth in the world. 6. Decipher your "work" and "life" views; strive to harmonize them as much as possible. 7. Approach work like a playground, not a ladder. 8. "Dream careers are not landed, they're created." 9. A single-lane road creates no life options. 10. Most (timely) skills employers are for will be half as impactful within 4 years. Get off the skill-building "treadmill" with timeless (power) skills. 11. "Learning how to learn" is life's meta-skill. Spend time finding your method for this. 12. Relationships are the greatest career (and life) accelerator. Go wide, stay curious. *** RESOURCES Live Uncaged: try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter Explore transformational coaching w/ Matt | |||
| 11 Jun 2024 | 122: Resumes to Riches | 00:17:41 | |
Your resume: a cage or a key? Roles, skills, and experiences can entrap us if we let them. Here, we discuss a counterintuitive shift that allows you to finally view your resume, not as a qualifier, but as a launchpad to a life of freedom, impact, and fulfillment. *** 👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training) 🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 22 Nov 2022 | 61: Don’t Take Your Gifts to the Grave | 00:14:43 | |
Your job does not define you. While you might be “gifted” at certain aspects of work, your gifts run far deeper than that. Pay attention to those flickers of genius you experience from time to time — when you feel truly alive. Those are hints of what you’re truly meant to do on this planet. Don’t waste your gifts. Unleash them! 📬 Get the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES | |||
| 18 Jul 2023 | 89: Building Your Corporate Offramp | 00:27:24 | |
Most people treat their careers as one-lane highways (staying in “employee” mode for 40+ years). Staying locked into this traffic pattern means leaving tons of freedom on the table. So, build an offramp. Give your future self a gift: an optional exit off that mind-numbing highway. This episode discusses the 16 lessons I’d give to my past self for accelerating the shift from corporate to entrepreneurship. *** 👉 How to escape the Corporate Cage (8-min video) 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn Watch the show on YouTube "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 26 Sep 2023 | 97: What Everyone Misses in Creating Personal Freedom | 00:16:59 | |
We mistakenly believe that adding more "features" to our lives creates more freedom — more money, a better job, or a stronger network. And while those elements can help, almost everyone misses the foundational step for creating personal freedom. *** 👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (5-min video) 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 25 Oct 2022 | 58: Tony Albrecht - In The Creative Arena | 00:55:29 | |
Tony Albrecht is one of my favorites. He’s a writer, podcaster, social entrepreneur, and student of the creative process. As the author of In The Creative Arena and co-founder of The Rowdy Creative, he works with people old enough to know they want a different trajectory and young and crazy enough to believe that big change is possible. His work is informed by his recovery from two afflictions, alcoholism and becoming a lawyer. 📬 Get the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS 03:03 Powered by espresso 06:18 Chapters of Tony’s life 08:32 Creative awakening 12:07 Offscripting 13:41 How to be a “creative” 19:08 Gen Z is freeing older generations 23:49 Dying to feel alive 29:00 Plugging “back in” on your terms 32:02 Surrounding yourself with non-conformists 34:34 Battling Resistance 37:50 Spartan way: extreme discipline 40:56 Examples of discipline 44:20 “Creativity is life or death” 46:34 How our children grapple with the scripted life 48:17 Rapid-fire questions 53:49 Choices today raise your trajectory for tomorrow *** TAKEAWAYS 1. The idea of creativity “isn’t just for the arts department…it’s how we make new stuff happen.” 2. View your engagement on social media as a forcing function for personal growth. 3. Oh, you’re scared? Evaluate the risks of doing versus not doing. 4. We must retool education: for leading and solving interesting problems (see Seth Godin’s “Stop Stealing Dreams”) 5. Make work happen: create the conditions to increase the likelihood that you’ll put your butt in the seat. 6. “Creativity is dirty work…It demands discipline.” 7. Relying on inspiration alone will not get you anywhere. 8. The scripted life we grew up with is quickly withering away. 9. Worst advice Tony received: “Law degrees are great because you can do so many things with them.” 10. “The small man builds cages for everyone he knows, while the sage, who has to duck his head when the moon is low, keeps dropping keys all night long for the beautiful, rowdy prisoners.” —Hafez *** RESOURCES In The Creative Arena (Tony's book) Tony's entrepreneurial efforts The War of Art (book mentioned) | |||
| 20 Aug 2024 | 128: From Cubicle to Catamaran (Inspiring My Kids) | 00:10:09 | |
From guilt-ridden corporate exec to adventurous entrepreneur. Here's a story about my journey to heal my family. I'll reveal how graduating corporate life for entrepreneurship led to Greek island dreams. Learn why showing my kids a life of freedom mattered more than any gift I could buy. Battling "dad guilt"? Discover how I turned regret into inspiration through bold choices. Listen to learn how redefining success brought my family closer and ignited their dreams. *** 👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training) 🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 10 Jan 2022 | 27: The Corporate Cage | 00:14:27 | |
So many people end trapped in the Corporate Cage: a psychological state where they feel like they can't move. In this episode, I define this "caged" existence and reveal a path out — a path to freedom. Corporate work can feel good; you just need to intentionally design your way there. Ready to dive down the rabbit hole? Download the free Corporate Cage Freedom Guide. *** TAKEAWAYS The Corporate Cage is a prison of our own choosing (and we can break free). A corporate work environment can feel rewarding and enable a happy life for you. 5 types of freedom to strive for: Time, Financial, Purpose, Social, and Health. You possess the keys to freedom right now — listen in to understand and learn how to use them. Corporate life doesn't have to suck. When you take control and put yourself first, it can work out really well. *** RESOURCES | |||
| 01 Nov 2022 | 59: Tara Horstmeyer - Ghostwrite Your Life | 00:47:53 | |
Today’s thoughts become tomorrow’s reality. And when you write down those thoughts, it’s a lightspeed jump into your better future. The lovely and super authentic Tara Horstmeyer joins me to talk about life-career seasons, LinkedIn mastery, and the power of “ghostwriting your own life.” Enjoy! 📬 Get the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS 03:00 Words that penetrate the soul 05:20 Writing when the emotion is hot 09:18 Tara’s childhood influences 14:02 Empathetic languaging 16:06 Doing what lights you up 20:06 Words are the catalyst for change 22:36 “Everyone is a ghostwriter” 25:20 Shifting your focus: outward to inward 29:01 Personal brand = personal advantage 34:02 Embracing “life seasons” 40:38 Rapid-fire questions *** TAKEAWAYS 1. Create a simple system for capturing your ideas when inspiration strikes. 2. Develop a method for fleshing out those idea “seedlings.” 3. When inspired, write with “editor” mode turned off (revisit with that lens later). 4. “Make sure you have something to say before you say it.” 5. Ghostwriting your own life is a process by which you find and build yourself. 6. You already have a personal brand (it’s your reputation). “Make it your business.” 7. You’re always juggling glass and rubber balls. If you drop the glass ones (e.g., family), they shatter. 8. If you’re speaking to everyone, you’re speaking to no one. *** RESOURCES Happy Words Sell (Tara's business) | |||
| 07 Feb 2023 | 71: Be Grateful in Advance | 00:09:45 | |
We always hear about the power of gratitude — but that has to do with being grateful for what you currently have. Some of history's most successful people take this to the next level: being grateful in advance. And the scientist backs this up. Listen closely! *** 👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 05 Nov 2024 | 135: Engineer Your Beliefs, Engineer Your Future | 00:14:22 | |
What's really holding you back from graduating corporate life? From building entrepreneurial freedom? It's not your skills. It's not your experience. It's not even your circumstances. It's your beliefs. Here, we discuss how to re-engineer your belief system so that you radically improve your future. *** 👉 Corporate Graduation™ Training 🟢 Put Your Job On "Autopilot" (Playbook) 🗓️ Book a Dream Scan Chat *** RESOURCES Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 17 Jan 2023 | 68: Invisible Scripts That Run Your Life | 00:19:18 | |
Invisible scripts run your life. That’s a tough pill to swallow. But it's true — they’ve owned you forever. No more. It’s time you shine a light on them, break free of limiting beliefs, and embrace your actual potential. Or you could stay comfortably stuck…your choice. *** 👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Episode 53: Paul Millerd - Awakening From the Default Path Episode 62: You Need Skin in the Game "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 25 Apr 2023 | 79: Play the Game (So You No Longer Have To) | 00:21:20 | |
Everything in life is a game — professionally and personally. The trick is to know which games are worth playing and for how long. (Prime example: corporate promotion game.) Join us for the "how to" of playing the right games...so you no longer have to play them at all. *** 👉 Masterclass: escape the Corporate Cage 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 08 Nov 2022 | 60: Mike Gardon - Investment In Loss | 00:56:42 | |
The trading life nearly destroyed Mike Gardon. Since stepping away, he’s obsessed with creating “life options.” At the core is the idea of “investment in loss”: to make significant changes, we often need to step backward. Today, his mission is to “break our mental constructs for what it means to make a living.” Enjoy! 📬 Get the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS 02:17 Ironman mentality 06:37 Compounding personal gains 09:48 Stratify your goals 12:31 Mike’s childhood → career start 17:56 Rebelling against the default path 20:06 Investment in loss 23:31 Portfolio mindset 25:34 Passion for career coaching 27:50 Mike helping his former self 33:47 Involving your family in major change 34:52 Risk mindset for personal growth 37:00 “Is what you’re pursuing big enough?” 40:02 Life options 41:50 Skin in the game 47:03 Money, time, & energy 52:30 Uncaged = ownership *** TAKEAWAYS 1. Pushing yourself with a new venture is not just about the accomplishment. It’s the person you become in the process. 2. “What’s your Ironman race?” Find the near-term thing in your life that forces your growth. 3. The entrepreneurial journey starts with a flicker inside you (an inclination) before you take tangible action. 4. The ultimate safety isn’t choosing the “right” path; it’s creating life options. 5. Portfolio mindset: make multiple concurrent bets and see what sticks. Even with the “failures,” you’ll grow tremendously. 6. Slow down (even step back) to speed up. 7. In managing the risk of major life decisions, too many remain stuck protecting what they have instead of pursuing what’s possible. 8. “Don’t tell me what you think, [show me] your portfolio.” —Nassim Nicholas Taleb 9. “Every decision is an investment decision.” You must devote appropriate money, time, and energy to the transformation you seek. 10. Choose yourself. *** RESOURCES | |||
| 04 Feb 2025 | 143: How to Make Your Corporate Graduation Inevitable With Forcing Functions [Voice Note] | 00:07:37 | |
Break past the fear, apprehension, and doubt. Install forcing functions that make your Corporate Graduation inevitable. *** 👉 Corporate Graduation™ Training 🟢 Put Your Job On "Autopilot" (Playbook) 🗓️ Book a Dream Scan Chat *** RESOURCES | |||
| 14 May 2024 | 118: My Top Lessons in Graduating Corporate Life | 00:22:45 | |
I’ve been on this entrepreneurial journey for nearly a decade and have been out of corporate for the last two years. Here, I’m sharing my top 12 lessons learned in shifting from corporate to entrepreneurship. *** 👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training) 🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 20 Sep 2022 | 54: Dennis Geelen - The Accidental Solopreneur | 00:37:46 | |
You have gifts. But chances are, they're locked up inside of you. A 9-5 job only lets you unleash a fraction of those gifts. Dennis Geelen joins us to tell the story of The Accidental Solopreneur (his recent book). It's a fascinating look at unleashing your gifts and maximizing your potential. Access the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Cohort course: Uncaged Academy Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS 03:12 What Dennis misses about corporate 06:28 Re-thinking the scripted life 10:50 Investing in your highest-leverage asset 13:31 Dennis's entrepreneurial experiments 18:52 Going from non-fiction to fiction author 21:30 The Accidental Solopreneur 23:31 Emotions of the entrepreneurial rollercoaster 26:12 Importance of niching down 32:18 Advice for starting a career today 35:06 Closing Message *** TAKEAWAYS 1. "The amount of learning I had to do to get that company off the ground is more than I learned in my 20 years of corporate." — Dennis Geelen 2. In solopreneurship, you must first master the inner game to then win the outer game. 3. Nearly high-performer in corporate should try entrepreneurship (on the side at least). If you don't, you'll likely regret it. 4. Don't expect instant success. Embrace the journey — it's amazing if you allow it to be. 5. Make your main goal about helping others. Goodness will flow your way if you do that. *** RESOURCES The Accidental Solopreneur (book) | |||
| 19 Jul 2022 | 46: Mental Health at Work (w/ Tim Perreira) | 00:33:43 | |
I joined mental health expert Tim Perreira as a guest on his show, Tuesdays With Tim. This is a recast of that session. We cover why modern work makes us feel caged, plus some psychological and physical health strategies for taking control of your work situation (and life). Want to create Time Freedom at work? Here's your guide. Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS 02:55 Thumbnail of Matt's life 04:55 Experiments with entrepreneurship 06:07 Should you leave corporate? 07:36 "Corporate Cage" defined 09:02 Root issue: externalizing control 11:03 4 phases to the Uncaged transformation 14:23 Step one: stop the bleeding 16:30 Unraveling destructive conditioning 19:45 Typical crappy answer to "what do you want?" 20:29 Indicators that you're caged 22:44 Inside-Out approach to life 24:25 Breaking free of "work = identity" 25:25 Your desires are not your own 27:36 Self-Realization Theory (to feel content) 28:39 Tearing down "authenticity" 31:00 Harsh awakening from autopilot *** TAKEAWAYS 1. Leaving the 9-5 isn't for most people. Choose to create freedom right where you are. 2. Shape your day based on what energizes you. This action compounds into the life you want. 3. Work-life balance isn't a thing. Treat your existence as one harmonized life. Strive for alignment. 4. Most of our pain at work stems from optional stories in our heads that we subscribe to. 5. Imagine your 10X bigger life to leapfrog commonplace (2X) tactics to an incrementally better life. 6. "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." — Viktor Frankl 7. Continually externalize your life vision through writing and speaking. This action programs your subconscious. Your mind is always listening, so make sure it's firing and wiring together per your design. 8. Obsessed with external motivation? You're just a shell of your potential. Instead, live Inside-Out. 9. Control the inputs to direct your outputs. 10. You have all sorts of control you don't believe you have. Design forward, take aligned action. *** RESOURCES | |||
| 29 Nov 2022 | 62: You Need Skin in the Game | 00:14:01 | |
Need a massive change in your career or life? Passively consuming social posts, books, or podcasts won’t do it. Human psychology shows we only take massive action when the stakes are high. You manufacture “high stakes” by putting serious Skin in the Game for your transformation: money, time, and energy. This one’s a serious wake-up call. 📬 Get the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES | |||
| 06 Feb 2024 | 113: Building Uncaged 2.0 | 00:18:55 | |
I’ve grown more in the last 2 years than in the previous 20. This includes:
From a personal and professional viewpoint, I now have crystal clarity on my purpose and transformational value for others. And with that, I’m bursting at the seams with insights and strategies I’m ready to share with you. That’s what I’m bubbling over with excitement as I prepare for the imminent launch of Uncaged 2.0. This means I’m rolling out massive upgrades to my two coaching programs that are actively transforming dozens of lives at any moment. If you’re ready to “graduate” corporate, listen closely. *** 👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training) 🗓️ Book your breakthrough call 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 10 Sep 2024 | 131: Leaving "Safety" (My Wild Journey) | 00:11:15 | |
In this honest episode, Matt reveals his journey from feeling trapped in a "safe" life to finding purpose through entrepreneurship. Balancing a complex family, financial pressures, and a draining corporate job, he faced the classic struggle between security and fulfillment. Matt shares how he gradually built an online business aligned with his passions, transforming not just his career but his family life too. This isn't a tale of overnight success, but of steady growth and persistence. If you've ever felt pulled towards more meaningful work but held back by responsibilities, Matt's story offers relatable insights and inspiration for taking those first steps towards change. *** 👉 Corporate Graduation™ Training 🟢 Put Your Job On "Autopilot" (Keep Paycheck) 🗓️ Book a Dream Scan Chat 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 31 Jan 2022 | 29: Extreme Time Ownership | 00:16:23 | |
On average, if we’re lucky, we’ll be alive on this planet for 4,000 weeks. That’s not much. So, what will you do with your precious time? Great time management is the ultimate meta-skill for life. In this episode, Matt presents what extreme time ownership is and why you need it. After explaining the mindset aspect, Matt shares 15 tactical tips on how to own your time with intention and ruthlessness. Ready to dive down the rabbit hole? Download the free Corporate Cage Freedom Guide. *** TAKEAWAYS How you manage your time will make or break your career and life! There is immense power in less, in reduction. By carving out the excess, you give more space and focus for what truly adds value to you, your work, and your purpose. What others ask of you almost always pales in comparison to what you can accomplish under your own imagination and initiative. Respect your energy, the quality of your output, and your progress. As a start, reject multitasking. Extreme Time Ownership is key to escaping the Corporate Cage, and living an Uncaged life. *** RESOURCES | |||
| 17 Oct 2023 | 99: Smartly Navigating from Corporate to Entrepreneurship (Tech Careers & Money Talk) | 01:02:57 | |
This episode features Matt guesting on Christopher Nelson's show, Tech Careers & Money Talk. We cover:
*** 👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (training video) 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 24 Jan 2022 | 28: Jason Rosselot: Creating Value at the Seams | 00:33:32 | |
Jason Rosselot is a VP of Cybersecurity at Dell Technologies. But traditional paths aren't his thing. From serving as a Special Agent protecting the Dalai Lama to ensuring resiliency in manufacturing and software, Jason is driven by a very personal mission. Feeling "caged" at work? Here's your key to freedom. *** TAKEAWAYS The most profound value creation isn't at the most predictable locations within organizations. Instead, the biggest opportunities exist in No Man's Land (the "seams") — the handoff points and areas where no one seems to "own" the task. While traditional career paths offer useful jumpstarts and open doors, don't lock in prematurely. Instead, listen to what your inner voice tells you and follow that guidance. Leadership is about bravely engaging in big problems; it's not just about taking on a prominent position. Your potential is what YOU deem it to be; it's not dictated by your experience or what others perceive of you. One of the most important things we can all do is unlock from our version of the Matrix: see more clearly what we're called to do and take aligned action with that calling. *** TIMESTAMPS [2:25] Meeting & protecting the Dalai Lama [4:21] Jason’s winding professional journey [5:57] Security: Jason’s purpose-driven mission [7:00] What matters over career phases [12:15] Value in the seams, not the silos [14:54] Separation of professional & personal? [18:01] Development of leadership philosophy [20:49] How to get “unstuck” at mid-career [23:17] Understand your version of the Matrix [26:16] Do a good turn daily [29:20] Advice for starting a career right now [31:44] Closing piece of advice *** RESOURCES | |||
| 06 Dec 2023 | 106: Filling That Professional Hole in Your Heart | 00:13:16 | |
Do you feel a gnawing professional hole in your heart? Your career once filled you up, but now you're trapped and making no impact. You might've tried the "freedom through passive income" route, but it's not truly passive and it felt like a second job. So, the professional hole remains. Darkness floods your days. It's time to:
Something you own (and love) needs to be part of your professional portfolio. You don't need to escape corporate — make it an investor in this critical new venture. Stop feeling trapped and start making your maximum impact with a business you love. *** 👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training) 🗓️ Book your breakthrough call 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (01:44) Empty feeling inside (02:37) We need professional fire (04:39) The portfolio career (05:56) Passive income delusions (07:47) Darkness expands (08:20) Heart > Head (10:17) Re-allocate your portfolio *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 23 Aug 2021 | 13: Mike McGill - Stoic Philosophy for Digital Leaders | 00:46:23 | |
OVERVIEW We're joined today by Mike McGill, Chief Information Officer at Medical Service Company. He discusses how Stoicism and other self-care approaches have helped him professionally and personally. We also dive into how to view the different phases of your career, plus how the Creator Economy is opening exciting new doors for people of all backgrounds. Please enjoy! Accelerate your tech career by trying Wednesday Wisdom: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter/ TAKEAWAYS Stoic philosophy is a pragmatic and "grounding" approach for being a better leader and living a more peaceful existence. A long-term career "north star" is helpful, but make sure you're fluid and adaptive as you go. Rethink resumes and credentials. Today, hiring managers look for one's commitment to craft. Building in public elevates you! Creating space between stimulus and response gives you control over your emotions. Beyond money, status, and fame, a deeper metric for success can center on happiness and peace. TIMESTAMPS [2:32] Mike’s creative mindset and Twitter approach [6:23] Spectrum of “what matters” in a tech career — choosing what you’re optimizing for [14:44] How to think about your evolving “future self” vision [16:39] How the Creator Economy and other forces should influence how you pursue learning and credentials [23:02] The “ownership mindset” required to build the career you desire [25:00] How Stoicism has been a life-changer, at work and home (“I had a Stoicism-shaped hole in me”) [28:22] The types of “modern” philosophy that can help digital leaders [33:29] A preview of Mike’s upcoming book: The IT Leadership Blueprint [39:26] The skills that up-and-coming tech professionals need to fixate on RESOURCES Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mcgillmd921 Connect w/ Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmcgill21/ Mike's site: https://www.michaeldmcgill.com/ Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw Books mentioned: The Obstacle Is the Way, The Daily Stoic | |||
| 11 Oct 2022 | 56: Paige West - Millennial & Gen Z Workforces Collide | 00:53:32 | |
Paige West went “national” in sharing her Quiet Quitting story on CNN, Good Morning America, and elsewhere. Here, we go behind the scenes on what fueled her decisions while also comparing and contrasting Millennial and Gen Z worldviews in the workplace. So good — enjoy! 📬 Get the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS 03:51 Doing the “inner” work 08:05 Paige’s formative years 12:16 Friction when weighing professional paths 16:47 Indicators that corporate wasn’t a fit 19:03 Keeping life options open 21:47 Hitting a breaking point 23:38 Applying the Quiet Quitting strategy 26:34 Did anything bad happen? 29:40 Fake “pressures” at work 30:51 Millennial vs. Gen Z values at work 36:45 Power of vulnerability on the job 39:01 Benefits of the corporate journey 42:57 Rapid-fire questions 48:44 Identity is a choice, reinforced by tiny actions 51:24 Keys to uncaging yourself *** TAKEAWAYS 1. Inner work is meant to get your inner and outer worlds to align. 2. Externalizing your thoughts sharpens and clarifies your thinking. 3. Learn from PAST regrets, ANTICIPATE future regrets, use that information NOW. 4. Be careful when corporate systems have rigid growth models — hard to be authentic. 5. Irony of Quiet Quitting for Paige: her reputation improved at work. 6. Ruthlessly protecting your time and being selective at work is good for you and your company. 7. Gen Z grew up in an era of publishing your emotions, and that’s showing up in corporate environments now. 8. Invest (in yourself) before you’re ready — time and money. *** RESOURCES Subscribe to Paige's YouTube channel | |||
| 15 Oct 2024 | 134: The Deceptive Allure of Self-Transformation | 00:12:23 | |
Maybe you've consumed all the books and podcasts. It feels good, and you can point to some results. But traditional self-help often leads you to a frustrating purgatory — "learning" but never truly transforming. Here, we introduce Self-Help 2.0. Discover why true change isn't just about "self," but about embodying new learnings within a transformative community. *** 👉 Corporate Graduation™ Training 🟢 Put Your Job On "Autopilot" (Playbook) 🗓️ Book a Dream Scan Chat *** RESOURCES Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 13 Feb 2022 | 31: Sana A Ahmed - Unleashing Your Inner Monster | 00:40:57 | |
Sana A Ahmed is a personal brand experience consultant and thought creator. We unpack how to unleash your inner monster — showing up as a person who has the guts to consciously stand out amidst a noisy world. We also discuss the immense potential of becoming an online creator by focusing on your Personal Philosophy. Ready to dive down the rabbit hole? Download the free Corporate Cage Freedom Guide. *** TIMESTAMPS [2:08] Why explore monsters? [5:56] Befriending your inner monster [7:30] Sana’s “creator” backstory [13:40] Personal Philosophy: definition & value [20:00] Leaders embody their philosophy [22:15] Applying the Niche of One (article) [26:15] Escape competition through authenticity [28:24] Countering “default path” thinking [32:00] Rapid-fire questions [37:00] Rituals for an energized day *** TAKEAWAYS 1. A monster is a person with the guts to show up and stand out, consciously; they reveal to others what is hidden in plain sight 2. When you befriend your monster, you’re unlocking connection through authenticity and relatability 3. Personal Philosophy: (1) means “love of knowing who you are” and (2) having it provides constraints for achieving higher levels of freedom 4. Strong self-knowledge makes life smoother and easier 5. “Niching down” your personal brand can leave you feeling confined over time; counter this through an always-evolving Niche of One approach 6. If you’re a creator, you don’t want to compete; instead, you need to collaborate 7. Best advice: follow (lead with) your heart 8. Over-focus on “reach” and metrics will trap you; you’ll lose energy to persevere 9. “Success” is necessarily a definition of your own making 10. Live at the intersection of your interests and you'll elevate your potency as a creator (bringing together different facets and creating value) *** RESOURCES Follow on Twitter @sanathemonster | |||
| 17 Dec 2024 | 139: I Was the Ceiling | 00:11:04 | |
Ever feel like you've maxed out on your current path? Like you're hitting your head on a ceiling of what you can do, earn, and be in your career and life? Harsh truth: the ceiling isn't out there — it's staring at you in the mirror. Let's break through that barrier right now, and soar to new heights. *** 👉 Corporate Graduation™ Training 🟢 Put Your Job On "Autopilot" (Playbook) 🗓️ Book a Dream Scan Chat *** RESOURCES | |||
| 30 Apr 2024 | 116: Letting Go of What No Longer Serves You | 00:12:13 | |
So much of our pain comes from holding on to what no longer serves us: identities, jobs, relationships, etc. “Letting go” is the key. But it's not just a concept. It's a powerful life skill that shortcuts your path to your dreams — collapsing timelines from decades into days. *** 👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training) 🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Call 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 07 Jun 2022 | 41: Optimizing for Freedom | 00:13:34 | |
What are you optimizing for? In other words, what are you trying to generate more of in your life? Most people have superficial answers. But dig deep, and you'll find what they want: some version of freedom. This episode introduces a framework for creating freedom, professionally and personally. Learn strategies and tactics for Uncaging yourself: try Wednesday Wisdom. *** TIMESTAMPS 02:41 Freedom is a feeling 04:46 Intro to Freedom Framework 05:04 Time Freedom 06:52 Financial Freedom 08:25 Relationship Freedom 10:09 Purpose Freedom 11:00 Health Freedom 11:30 Putting it all together *** TAKEAWAYS 1. Time Freedom: Conserve hours (and energy). Consciously direct those gains toward your chosen high-value activities (work and otherwise). 2. Financial Freedom: Maximize corporate utility for least effort. Diversify income streams. Systematically funnel gains toward wealth-generating assets. 3. Relationship Freedom: Graduate from “old you” relationships. Surround yourself with people and ideas that inspire, uplift, and scare you (shocking you out of your comfort zone). 4. Purpose Freedom: Cultivate “meaning” in your life in areas that resonate with you. It doesn’t have to be professional (e.g., might be parenting). Note: don’t expect corporate to deliver this for you. 5. Health Freedom: Ensure a healthy mind and body that keeps you high-functioning and energized for decades. *** RESOURCES Live Uncaged: try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan Related episodes: Creating Time Freedom at Work (#38), Mastering the Bookends of Your Day (#40) | |||
| 10 May 2022 | 38: Creating Time Freedom at Work | 00:20:34 | |
Default thinking says, "I just need to suck it up at work." That's nonsense. You can take control of your corporate job and create Time Freedom — right where you are. Learn the biological reasons why we feel overrun at work, plus 3 strategies (plus tactics) for creating Time Freedom. Break free of the Corporate Cage: join the Uncaged Academy. *** TIMESTAMPS 03:03 The Time Freedom mindset 03:53 That caged feeling 04:45 Why work overtakes us 07:00 How Henry Ford screwed us 09:30 Freedom framework (5 types) 10:19 Intro: 3 strategies for Time Freedom 10:36 ONE: Know thyself 12:19 TWO: Learn their game 14:57 THREE: Design your game 18:36 Recap *** TAKEAWAYS 1. You don't "find" time; you must create it. 2. Freedom is what you're born with. It's also a choice. Choose it, and then begin to manifest it. 3. Within corporate, must adopt an "outcomes over hours" mindset. 4. Understand your personal Point of Diminishing Returns at work. 5. Much of the upfront work involves identifying and confronting your limiting beliefs. *** RESOURCES Join the Uncaged Academy (cohort-based course) Subscribe to the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan Related episodes: Outcomes Over Hours (#35) | |||
| 21 Jun 2022 | 42: William Willis - The Uncaged Creator | 01:00:05 | |
Creativity isn't just some abstract topic for artists. Think beyond the "in-demand skills" of today and learn how to build creative muscles that unlock a better life for you. William Willis (aka The Prolific Creator) joins us to share his transformative story (flowing between big tech and a "creator" entrepreneur), plus enlightening tips for cultivating meaning and tangible rewards inside and outside of corporate. Weekly newsletter for Uncaging yourself: try Wednesday Wisdom Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS 03:04 Impact of science fiction 07:22 Wrestling with a "successful" tech career 10:56 Personal learnings from experimentation 15:37 The anti-niche approach 19:42 Identifying your golden thread (EPIC) 23:45 Cultivating your scenius 32:56 Practical creativity for those feeling "caged" 37:10 How you're capping your potential 41:01 How William is methodically designing corporate re-entry 48:44 Rapid-fire questions 56:27 Every second counts *** TAKEAWAYS 1. There's immense power in unbounded experimentation (with no fixation on outcomes). 2. Be EPIC: [E]xplore interests, observe [P]atterns, [I]dentify common threads, and [C]urate creations. 3. We’re all born to create. The question is, "what are we supposed to create?" 4. Curate your environment (including people) to level up to where you want to be. 5. We become conditioned to value professional effectiveness and efficiency. 6. You're capping your potential if you're not flexing your creative "play" muscles. 7. You are an autonomous being in your world. Don't let others have you believe otherwise. 8. Don't spend your entire life building someone else's dreams (the graveyard is the wealthiest place in the world). 9. All you have is this moment. Don't settle. What can you do right now? 10. "A small, caged life is no way for a human being to live." *** RESOURCES Check out William's site: The Prolific Creator William's Substack newsletter Connect w/ William on LinkedIn Follow William on Twitter Live Uncaged: try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter | |||
| 22 Nov 2023 | 104: Design Your Personal Category | 00:20:30 | |
Don’t craft a personal brand. Don’t “find your niche.” Instead, design your personal category (hint: this is a psychology game). This is the place where you build your future. It’s where you build a “1 of 1” business where you’re authentic and bold. Here, you offer a unique transformation for those you aim to serve. In turn, you unlock massive freedom, income, and impact. *** 👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training) 🗓️ Book your breakthrough call 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (02:45) The modern factory life (04:17) No one cares about you (05:52) The anti-personal brand (08:17) Frame, name, & claim (09:20) Matt's personal category (11:54) Problems w/ brands & niches (14:00) Personal category components (15:09) Category = personal freedom *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 28 May 2024 | 120: Your Freedom Vehicle (Beyond Corporate) | 00:18:40 | |
Feeling caged in corporate life? Passive income isn't the ticket out. To escape the maze, you need to take an active approach. Build your freedom vehicle. Learn exactly how to leverage your current positioning, unlock your inner genius, and create an online business that provides true lifestyle freedom. Stop trading time for money. Discover how to live a self-directed life by monetizing your purpose. *** 👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training) 🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 09 May 2023 | 80: Invisible Progress | 00:15:24 | |
You want “real” results — proof that your professional or personal transformation efforts are working. But sometimes, nothing appears to be happening. In this case, you must measure differently. You need to embrace the idea of Invisible Progress. Learn how in this episode! *** 👉 Masterclass: escape the Corporate Cage 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 23 Feb 2022 | 32: The Life of a Rat Racer | 00:09:12 | |
Are you a rat? Take a hard look in the mirror. Be honest with yourself, and decide whether your career strategy is helping or hurting your overall life experience. In this episode, Matt describes the life of a typical rat racer and then poses some critical reflection questions. Tired of rat racing? Download the free Corporate Cage Freedom Guide. *** TAKEAWAYS Rat Race: the unpleasant reality where a person’s job requires them to endlessly compete with others for money, power, status. Industrialized education systems teach us early on that picking a “prescribed path” is the key to success and happiness. It’s difficult to separate genuine desires from those we’ve adopted by external influences (explained by Mimetic Theory). If we’re not “awake,” self-directed, and intentional with our career strategy, we can end up deflated and regretful. 3 questions will help you understand if you’re running the rat race and how you might break free. *** RESOURCES | |||
| 18 Jun 2024 | 123: Don’t Self-Sabotage Your Entrepreneurial Dream | 00:18:43 | |
Self-sabotage is the primary reason we remain trapped in our (often self-created) cages. And it's what prevents many from shifting from corporate to entrepreneurship. In this episode, we cover the top 11 dream killers to avoid. Enjoy! *** 👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training) 🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 28 Jan 2025 | 142: Can You Skip the Inner Work and Succeed as an Entrepreneur? [Voice Note] | 00:07:54 | |
Providing an honest take on the most dominant "failure" point for aspiring entrepreneurs. *** 👉 Corporate Graduation™ Training 🟢 Put Your Job On "Autopilot" (Playbook) 🗓️ Book a Dream Scan Chat *** RESOURCES | |||
| 21 Jan 2025 | 141: The End of Employment As We Know It | 00:16:16 | |
The Industrial Era gave us 100 years of stable employment. 2025 marks the end of that century-long experiment. "Employment" is dead, which means there's new opportunity that's yours for the taking. *** 👉 Corporate Graduation™ Training 🟢 Put Your Job On "Autopilot" (Playbook) 🗓️ Book a Dream Scan Chat *** RESOURCES | |||
| 13 Jun 2023 | 85: 15 Reasons You’re Stuck in the Rat Race | 00:24:29 | |
The Rat Race is an endless, "hamster wheel" approach to ensuring your relevance in this world — and It's completely unwinnable. If you believe you have no choice whether to run this race, you're wrong. This episode breaks down proven strategies for breaking free of the Rat Race and creating real autonomy in your career and life. *** 👉 How to escape the Corporate Cage (8-min video) 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 03 Jan 2022 | 26: Lessons From 2021 | 00:12:23 | |
Life is chaotic and fast-moving. If we don’t pause and reflect, we miss out on key signals and opportunities. I do this almost every day in my journal, but I go meta through my annual review. So I analyzed my 2021 experience, and I'm delivering some wisdom to you. Here are my top 10 lessons from 2021. I hope you find them valuable! Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter. *** RESOURCES | |||
| 25 Jul 2023 | 90: Using Corporate as Rocket Fuel | 00:14:21 | |
Did your corporate career start with a bang? But soon enough, the flame died out. Now you're left wondering, "Is this all there is?" Here's where you take elite action. Don't just carry on, and don't rage quit either. Instead, use your corporate career as a launchpad to freedom. In this episode, you'll learn to:
*** 👉 How to escape the Corporate Cage (8-min video) 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn Watch the show on YouTube "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 19 Sep 2023 | 96: Delusional Minds Chase Passive Income | 00:21:55 | |
"Passive income" is not the holy grail you think it is. In fact, it can lead you down a dangerous path. But if you crave real career and lifestyle freedom, we unpack a much more effective and efficient strategy in this episode. *** 👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (5-min video) 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 07 May 2024 | 117: Make Your Employer Your Investor | 00:13:56 | |
You've given a lot to your corporate career. Now that you've got a foundation, it's time to change the rules. The job is no longer an asset to be coveted. YOU are the asset. Direct all energy to building your future self. Learn how to make your employer your personal investor. *** 👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training) 🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Call 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 12 Jul 2021 | 7: Simone Petrella - Embracing the Education Revolution | 00:42:06 | |
OVERVIEW Today we're joined by Simone Petrella, CEO of CyberVista. Simone lives and breathes education, and her organization specializes in upskilling cybersecurity and technology professionals. In our conversation, we explore the radical transformation that the education industry is experiencing, and what that means for the aspiring digital leader. Unlock more professional freedom with the new course: Digital Career Flight Plan. Try it: https://matthewdoan.com/flight TAKEAWAYS There's still a significant divide between business strategy and digital strategy — leaders on both sides of the aisle need to further harmonize their understand and efforts. Especially since COVID, education and employment shifts are changing what it means to be "qualified" in a technology-focused job. CyberVista is working to upend traditional measures for gauging a person's skills — moving from static to dynamic. Being a mother has helped Simone lead with empathy, honor the human condition, and see life as much more than achieving professional goals. Digital leaders are primed to help steer organizations going forward as they work to weave technology capabilities into the heart of customer experience and business strategy. RESOURCES Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter Connect w/ Simone on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-petrella-a213a42/ Follow Simone on Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonepetrella Learn about CyberVista: https://www.cybervista.net/ Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw | |||
| 13 Sep 2021 | 16: Entering the “Organizational Politics” Arena | 00:19:21 | |
OVERVIEW Politics is about more than nasty conversations between two political parties. Humans resolve conflicts and move forward through politics. In this episode, learn why aspiring digital leaders need to have their eyes on this skillset. We discuss how to enter the organizational politics arena and the key skills for elevating your career. Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter. *** TAKEAWAYS Politics stems from a diversity of competing interests, which must be resolved in some way. You not taking an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won't take an interest in you. The 4 types of organizational politics: Weeds, Rocks, Highground, Woods. People in tech are perceived as merely serving the organization and not leading it. That’s wrong! We must lean in and engage. We cover 10 ways to start building your political muscle. *** RESOURCES | |||
| 04 Jun 2024 | 121: The Shadows Our Loved Ones See | 00:10:51 | |
Our shadows last a lifetime for our kids and loved ones. Nonstop career hustling puts food on the table, but it doesn't instill values we're proud of. It's time we walk our talk and embody our true values, so they grow up with healthy behaviors. Remember, they're always watching. *** 👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training) 🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 01 Aug 2023 | 91: [HITS] Should I Choose Safety or Passion? | 00:13:45 | |
What path should you take? The Safe Path is predictable and comfortable. But then there's the Passion Path, where you know you'll encounter a life of adventure and excitement. This question applies equally to life and career. Listen up to discover a mental model for approaching safety vs. passion. *** 👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (5-min video) 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 06 Sep 2022 | 53: Paul Millerd - Awakening From the Default Path | 00:58:57 | |
Paul Millerd, author of The Pathless Path, joins me to talk about "default path" addiction and what it's like to awaken. As former management consultants, we dig hard into this arena too. Enjoy! Access the newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Cohort course: Uncaged Academy Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS 03:12 The Great Contemplation 06:21 How Paul's book affected Matt 08:25 The process of Awakening 09:51 Pre-awakening (most people trapped here) 15:58 Addiction to Default Paths 19:03 Value of an early-career foothold 21:56 "There's a pebble in my shoe" 23:51 Higher stakes if you're a parent 27:10 Understanding life tradeoffs 28:28 The Pathless Path 31:21 Uncertainty as a feature 33:10 Testing boundaries at work 38:31 The great work of your life 41:15 Minimal risk in betting on yourself 44:21 Thoughtful re-entry into corporate life 51:20 Rapid-fire 57:53 What's your "work" story? *** TAKEAWAYS 1. Great Resignation might actually be the Great Contemplation: a rejection of scripted life, healthier conversation about our identification as "workers," and a desire to take control of your life. 2. Rule of thumb: most people you'll meet are asleep (80%), some are groggy (15%), and a few are truly awake (5%). 3. The Protestant Reformation triggered an "obsession" with work, which has taken global hold. 4. Aim of life for people came to find work and then hold on tight to that path. 5. The Default Path feels addictive because the start is so thrilling. Eventually, we stop growing and become sleepy. 6. Instead of doing the work, you eventually find yourself doing performative work (pretending to be valuable). 7. Tough for parents to fake it at work while simultaneously encouraging your kids to blaze their own path. 8. We can't let sunk costs weigh us down. Your life season hugely impacts what you should say "yes" to next. 9. Not knowing what comes next might actually be a feature, not a bug. 10. "If there are clear boundaries [at work], there is also great freedom to adapt and imagine within those lines. These boundaries, however, should always be tested to see if they are actually still real. It takes conscious acts by individuals to test these edges." —David Whyte 11. Great work of your life: continually find the great work of your life (Stephen Cope). 12. Know yourself: deliver targeted value inside your 9-5; push yourself for exponential growth in the outside world. *** RESOURCES Paul's newsletter, site, & podcast | |||
| 17 Nov 2023 | 103: Million-Dollar Months (3 Lessons from a World-Class Mastermind) | 00:28:33 | |
I view myself as my greatest asset, so I invest accordingly. That translates to $35K alone this year for coaching and masterminds. I just returned from my latest event, where I met with entrepreneurs who were having million-dollar months — doing work they love and saving lives. Yes, you read that correctly. In this episode, I'm sharing my top mastermind insights that you can apply immediately. You're welcome. *** 👉 Leverage corporate for entrepreneurial freedom (training video) 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (02:24) Mastermind context (03:18) The path forward (08:51) Tuning your frequency (15:06) The CEO mindset *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 03 Sep 2024 | 130: Entrepreneurship Is No Longer Optional For You | 00:18:20 | |
The corporate landscape is shifting beneath your feet. Job security? It's becoming a myth. But there's an opportunity in this chaos. This episode explores why entrepreneurship (even while keeping your day job) is becoming essential for your growth, financial stability, and family's future. We'll cut through the hype and show you practical steps to leverage your experience into a thriving online business. It's not about quitting tomorrow; it's about future-proofing your career today. Time is of the essence. Learn why waiting is no longer an option, and how to start your entrepreneurial journey without upending your life. *** 👉 Graduate Corporate Life (Training) 🗓️ Book Your Breakthrough Session 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 19 Dec 2023 | 107: Brutally Honest Reflections Since Leaving Corporate | 00:15:14 | |
"Burn mental boats before real ones." Just one of my 11 reflections since ditching the corporate ladder one-and-a-half years ago. If you have big life responsibilities yet dream of entrepreneurial freedom, you need to listen to this episode. *** 👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training) 🗓️ Book your breakthrough call 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 16 Jan 2024 | 110: Centralize Your Genius | 00:13:54 | |
Far too many professionals conform to one-size-fits-all corporate success criteria. This stifles their natural gifts. Though they deliver results and earn good money, they feel dead inside as their genius gets suppressed. The solution is to harness your Zone of Genius (ZoG) — the intersection of your:
Centralize and lead from your ZoG. Make it the hub of everything. Stop conforming and gap-filling weaknesses. Start expressing your superpowers. This unlocks freedom, income, and impact. You have a choice:
The key is identifying and then centrally expressing your unique genius, both in corporate and entrepreneurial ventures. It's time to unlock your full career potential and a bigger life. *** 👉 Build entrepreneurial freedom (training) 🗓️ Book your breakthrough call 🌐 Show site: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES Newsletter: Uncaged Secrets Connect w/ Matt on LinkedIn | |||
| 14 Jun 2021 | 2: Andrea Little Limbago - Leading at the Intersection of Human & Tech | 00:38:24 | |
OVERVIEW Here, we talk with Dr. Andrea Little Limbago (VP of Research and Analysis at Interos) about what it takes for tech experts (usually considered introverts) to elevate into leadership positions. Andrea also shares how her unique background in the social sciences enabled her own growth in the cybersecurity field. Finally, she and Matthew discuss how to think about professional networking and why tech leaders need to operate "human-first" in driving organizational progress. For weekly digital leadership and career advice, join Wednesday Wisdom at https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter TAKEAWAYS For tech experts to find their place in leadership roles, they need to: (1) decide if it's for them, (2) sharpen their communication skills, and (3) be influential team players. Cybersecurity is still stuck with the notion that humans are the weakest link. But at the end of the day, if technology doesn't work with humans in it, it doesn't work. To build key relationships, think like a social scientist. Connect with key individuals that get you closer to your goal without being self-serving with your personal agenda. The leadership myths that need busting: (1) you have to be an extrovert to be a leader, (2) leave the people component to HR, and (3) bring solutions, not problems. Having a professional "squad" is vital to your professional and social health. RESOURCES Connect w/ Andrea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-little-limbago/ Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan/ Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw | |||
| 13 Dec 2021 | 25: Mark Freeman - Career Success Powered by Community | 00:52:43 | |
Mark Freeman (data scientist, entrepreneur, and LinkedIn celebrity) joins us in the studio! We can all admire his unrelenting fixation on solving large-scale societal problems and his deep understanding of how to nurture an online community. He goes behind the scenes on his career, as we discuss his navigation into various high-impact communities (startup, data science, Web3). Tired of feeling "caged" at work? Here's your key to freedom. *** TAKEAWAYS On social media, think of every follower as a mentor — make sure you're finding ways to learn from them. Apply the "dead flip" approach (pinball) in career and life: understand when to pause, reset, and validate your target. Breaking into data science doesn't necessarily require deep technical skills. Start by understanding how you can provide unique business value, and craft your role from there. Side hustles can be useful beyond their monetary value. Think of them as testbeds to prove hypotheses, test your interests, and continually validate your passions. Use your online interactions to increase the odds of serendipity in your life (plant many seeds, and see which ones sprout over time). *** TIMESTAMPS [2:00] The dead flip [5:02] How chess played a pivotal role [5:50] Mark’s professional journey [10:28] Driven by meaning, open to pivoting [11:48] Diverse inroads into data science [18:14] TRIBE framework — move forward together [20:00] Community & two-way value exchange [23:12] Operating a job creation “funnel” [26:21] Mark’s entrepreneurial ventures [36:00] DeFi participation (CharlieDAO) [41:37] The power of “collisions” [42:57] Rapid-fire questions *** RESOURCES Related episode: Creators + Web3 (w/ Chris Cochran) | |||
| 14 Feb 2023 | 72: Getting Out of Your Own Way | 00:10:50 | |
Got some fantastic career and life goals floating through your head? Wondering why they're taking so long to become a "reality"? It's because you're in your own way, focusing on noise that doesn't matter. Let's fix that. *** 👉 Complimentary Uncaged Masterclass 🌐 Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** RESOURCES "Badass Corporate" Private Facebook Group | |||
| 16 Aug 2022 | 50: Introducing Uncaged Academy (Cohort-Based Course) | 00:10:20 | |
Think back to those one-way college lectures or those on-demand courses you've taken. Did you really transform as a person? No. That's why I'm proud to introduce Uncaged Academy to you. It's an immersive, cohort-style approach to learning that focuses on community (friends), accountability, and rapid transformation. With our first cohort in the books, I'm excited to discuss the future of this unique program with you. Make corporate work for YOU. Apply for our cohort course: Uncaged Academy. Show website: UncageYourself.FM *** TAKEAWAYS 1. The Education Technology (EdTech) realm is rapidly changing the modern learning experience. 2. You no longer need to give years of your life (or extreme amounts of money) to improve your mindset, skillset, or career trajectory. 3. Uncaged Academy helps you (a) design your 9-5 experience in a way that (b) unlocks the life you really want. 4. While still in corporate, you can create more freedom: Financial, Time, Purpose, Relationships, Health. 5. This course is for high-performing mid-career professionals who feel "stuck" and want something more out of their lives. *** RESOURCES Go deep: try the Uncaged Secrets newsletter | |||
| 06 Sep 2021 | 15: Weaponizing Writing for Career Advancement | 00:14:01 | |
OVERVIEW Technical skills have known ceilings. In turn, writing is every digital leader's boundless career multiplier. After covering how writing and influence are intertwined, Matt discusses the benefits of cultivating a writing habit and how you can steadily go from bad to good to great. Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter. *** TAKEAWAYS In tech, we obsess about scaled impact. Writing is the key to scaling your personal impact. In our knowledge economy, your creativity reigns supreme. Your ideas are your biggest potential return on investment. Writing forces you to sharpen your thinking in a way that you can't do through other means. Writing is the most scalable professional networking activity. Strong writing makes you intellectually battle-ready. Neil Strauss on editing: (1) Write for yourself, (2) Revise for the reader, (3) Fine-tune for the critics. Writing keeps you young, fresh, and always relevant. *** TIMESTAMPS [3:15] Leverage at your fingertips [4:14] Writing sharpens your thinking [6:08] Getting battle-ready [9:02] Don't go to conferences; write and ship [11:17] Writer's block is defeatable *** RESOURCES Follow on Twitter @MatthewRDoan | |||