Ikigai is roughly translated to English as "a life worth living". It exists at the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for. This is not just a concept, but a lived philosophy.

At The Lifestyle Artist we are all about living to our highest potential. So tune in today to learn about this Japanese philosophy and some practices to help you explore your personal Ikigai.

Financial Independence Retire Early sounds great, right? I mean, who would not want to retire themselves young and then proceed through life focusing on whatever strikes their fancy. For some people it may be exactly that, for others, it can be a path to burnout and a lifestyle so restrictive it isn't any fun.

In this episode we talk about the FIRE strategy and some of the pros and cons that come along with it. By understanding the underlying assumptions, and the pros and cons of the FIRE strategy we can start to consider its relevance in our own lives. There is usually something to be learned in most things we come across in life, but contextualizing those into something that is useful for each of us is something of an art.

If you believed the media, you would think that the American left and right are hopelessly divided. While there is certainly a lot of division and disagreement, that are a few areas of commonality. These area of political consensus is a story you are not being told!

In this episode we dive into 8 emerging areas of agreement and put on our critical thinking caps. Because they are emerging does not mean they will sustain, nor does it mean they represent positive impacts in the lives of Americans. The divide is real, but it's not the whole picture. And, while people may be starting to agree on some issues, it doesn't mean they are right, or that their opinions are not being manufactured and manipulated.

The midterm elections are nearing and the political tribalism has reached a fever pitch. Tribalism is not an accident-- it is a feature of human psychology, and its origins are consequential to our survival. However, now corporations, politicians, the media and digital algorithms all hi-jack this human trait for their benefit. And often leave you and your community worse off for it.

In this episode we will understand the psychology behind tribalism to learn how to avoid it. Your relationships and your future self will thank you!

Situational awareness is often taught in emergency response, military, and first responder contexts. However, it is a fundamental skill useful in all walks of life. It is about intentionally leveraging your senses to better perceive the world around you. Most of us walk through life on auto-pilot, missing out on information from the environment that can be useful and even self-preserving. This episode is an introduction to situational awareness and how to develop your skills. This skill could save your life someday... or it could make you become aware of how incredible the life you life in actually is.

The Free Rider Problem is an economic concept that quietly shapes your daily life. Whether it be at work or in your personal life with friends and social events, it subtly impacts peoples motivation through their perception of incentives. Everyone knows what it feels like when someone is not helping out, or when you seem to be doing a lot of the work.

In this episode we break down the Free Rider Problem, what it is, how it occurs, and how to address it. No body wants to feel taken advantage of, so tune in to learn more about this phenomena. Isn't Economics fascinating! :)

Today we talk about some recent events and what they mean for us individuals. While events that are best sorted into the circle of concern are generally not worth a lot of our time and energy, they often hold lessons and guidance for the average person. Happy Friday!

Today we talk about the economy and how things are looking as of the end of August 2026. We go into several metrics and data points indicating high valuations in certain areas of the market, talk about the "run it hot" playbook, and discuss some consumer related data that indicates some, perhaps increasing, stress. As always, not financial advice, but a high level overview of the economy. While many people despise economics, developing our ability to look at data improves self-reliance and strong decision making.

There is a lot going on in the work these days, and it is quite difficult to keep up. Today we talk about a few recent events that have significant ramifications. While most media is worth ignoring, some stories are important to consider for their implications in our lives.

We have talked a lot in recent episodes about personal finance. A lot of information, tools and tips have been reviewed. But we all know how life throws us curveballs. So we must learn to expect setbacks, anticipate them, and develop a system that promotes consistency in the pursuit of our goals. Willpower is a fantastic muscle to continually exercise, and building a system that allows us to maintain a course with minimal willpower needed will ultimately support success. With that, here is to your financial empowerment!

In this installment of the financial empowerment series we talk about debt and credit. Having good credit can be a powerful ally in your journey toward your financial goals. While debt is like carrying a backpack full of bricks on that journey. Tune in for this high level analysis of using credit well, and eliminating debt that holds you back. As always, not financial advice, just the opinions of this podcaster.

Our mindset, psychology and emotions inform the lens that we see the world through. There are a lot of emotions involved when it comes to money. Are your emotions and psychology holding you back from financial empowerment? Today we unpack some of the adverse mental models in personal finance and how to counteract them. As always, not financial advice, just relevant tips for everyone in their financial journey.

In this episode we talk about the benefits of keeping a simple budget. How it helps you dial in your expenses related to your income, and what are some factors to consider if you are feeling money-stressed. Money issues are very common and can be quite difficult and impactful. So taking charge of your financial wellbeing is a key step the the journey of the Lifestyle Artist. And budgeting is a simple and powerful too to support your financial success.

The poor state of American's financial literacy is something everyone should take into account. How financially literate are you? What are your good and bad habits? Taking a look at our own finances is commonly a dreary task filled with uncertainty. It is also very important to your present and future to take control of your finances, address issues, and plan for success. This first episode in my series on financial empowerment provides an overview of the issue that we will dive into.

All over the internet you hear people talking about how AI is going to change the world and anticipate the mass unemployment of humans. In this episode we talk about one skill that is uniquely human: creativity. Somehow in the process of growing up it seems that many of us lose our creative edge, which is unfortunate. Not only does creativity enrich our daily live life in many ways other than overt art forms, but the skill of creative thinking is relevant and potentially transformative in all walks of life.

Can YOU handle the truth? Be truthful now... Haha! If truth were an animal it would be an endangered species. This time in the evolution of humanity is marked by a distinct lack of truth. The internet, which most humans interact with daily, has algorithms that sort people into bias-dominated echo chambers. The past several years has witness the emergence and preeminence in public discourse of terms like misinformation, disinformation, mal-information... and there are surely more. And political polarization that almost seems to idealize segmenting society into tribal groups unable to consider compromise.

The good news is, it is not your fault. The bad news is, it is your job to navigate the world that exists, and finding truth has gotten ever harder. In this episode we provide tools and insight to help you see the effects of our post-truth world in your daily life and become repellant to the singleminded-ness that results. Your relationships and human interactions will benefit from this conversation!

Every day we interact with people. Whether they be casual interactions with strangers, professional interactions in our work lives, or intimate interactions in our personal lives. Interactions are so ubiquitous learning how to do them better can bring huge jumps in life satisfaction. In this show we talk about closed-mindedness, how it inhibits personal growth and development, and can lead to prejudice and denial of reality, which will hold you back in life. By increasing awareness of rigidity in your thinking process, you can learn to become more open-minded, improve your experience in daily life, and become that person that everyone is interested in.

Today we check in on global stories that are dominating the air time. Tune in, put on your thinking cap, and lets try to expand on the conventional narratives that people are engaging with.

When I began this podcast months ago I presented a fitness challenge. That was to be active for 20min daily. After months of adhering to that plan myself (as best I could) I have learned some things. In this episode I talk about what I have learned, the purpose of the challenge, and some new considerations a person should be aware of when participating in the challenge.

When I launched this podcast I challenged listeners to join me in a daily fitness activity. It has now been months since that day and I want to update some things that have been illuminated over the course of this challenge. In this first section of a 2 part update we will talk about things that are not well understood by people engaging in a fitness program.