The Pathless Path is hosted by Paul Millerd - a writer, creator, and consultant. He has conversations with freelancers, self-employed entrepreneurs, creators, and vagabonds who share their perspectives on their relationship with work, burnout, bootstrapping, indie hacking, remote work, reinvention, creativity, sabbaticals, leisure, self-employment, unconventional living, and digital nomadism. Past guests include Ali Abdaal, Russ Roberts, Kevin Kelly, Khe Hy, David Senra, Derek Sivers, Joe…
Check out Angie's book in Chinese: mit886.com More about angie: Angiecreates.io Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Welcome to the Pathless Path Podcast (00:11) - Life Updates and Creative Challenges (01:12) - The Journey of Writing a Memoir (05:14) - Revisiting Family Stories (08:25) - The Emotional Rollercoaster of Writing (10:29) - Balancing Motherhood and Creativity (13:09)…
I chat with Michael on parenting, getting lost, the pathless path, hustle culture, travel, and more. This is his 4th appearance on the show. Find more about Michael here: https://michaelashcroft.com/ Or explore his writings on expanded awareness: https://expandingawareness.org/ (00:00) - Introduction / Teaser (01:39) - Introduction and Missing Guest (02:28) - Podcast Plans and Initial Banter…
Allie and I discuss our shared experiences of leaving traditional career paths to explore more authentic lives. Allie, a former lawyer, talks about navigating parenthood, part-time work, and her numerous interests while stepping off the default path. We chat about how Allie was inspired by 'The Pathless Path,' the ship, quit, and learn framework, and our upcoming experiments with nomadic living.…
In this episode, I have a deep conversation with Steven Foster, who opens up about his career journey from Silicon Valley to embracing a pathless life. We dive into his essay 'Commit a Career Ending Move,' reflecting on how modernity has turned careers into a form of religion. Steven shares his personal challenges, including severe health issues and family crises, and how embracing a more communal…
Click here to watch a video of this episode. Mentioned in the episode Andrew Taggart’s website Pathways to the Dao (Andrew’s Substack) Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper Secular Monks (article by Andrew Taggart) Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright Pierre Hadot (Philosophy as a Way of Life) The Pathless Path by Paul Millerd (00:00) - Introduction (03:04) - The Evolution of Work…
I took questions from people for episode 200. Enjoy! Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Introduction and Podcast Background (02:30) - Future of Education and Teaching (04:51) - Thoughts on Being a Prophet (05:31) - Current Pulling Forces and Changes (07:52) - Special Hardcover Edition Plans (09:27) - Managing Financial Anxiety (11:13) - Business Lessons from Corporate Life…
In this episode, I talk with Dennis Owen about his journey from a long career in the airline industry to building a purposeful and active retirement in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Dennis shares how he intentionally “retired to” a new life filled with volunteering, consulting, and community involvement, rather than just leaving work behind. We discuss the challenges of adapting to a new culture, the…
In this video, I talk with Rekha about Boundless Life and the idea of location-independent education. We cover her background, what led her to start Boundless Life, and how the program works for families who want a different approach to learning and community. For more: Boundless Life Boundless Education Rekha on LinkedIn Rekha on Instagram (00:00) - Introduction to the topic of…
In this episode, I interview my friend Pranab Saachi, and we get specific about the ideas and influences that have shaped his thinking. We talk about codependent origination from Buddhist philosophy, the concept of “quake books” that have shifted his worldview, and his own approach to “attentional co-piloting” as a practical alternative to traditional coaching (which he then has me try out live on…
In this episode, I'm pumped to welcome back Nick Maggiulli to the podcast (https://youtu.be/deMXbaI-Ir4). We dive into various topics about money and financial independence, with a focus on Nick's endorsement of the 'COAST Fire' strategy, something I accidentally embraced after quitting my job. Nick shares his personal stories of financial challenges growing up and how these experiences shaped his…
Lawrence is one of my favorite creators. He shares with passion, vulnerability and care. I chatted with Lawrence Yeo about his new book, 'The Inner Compass,' exploring themes of self-reflection, creativity, and the journey of writing and self-publishing. We discuss the importance of engaging with the world to gain a deeper understanding of oneself, the role of ambition in creative work, and the…
In this episode, I have a conversation with my friend Jack Moses. Three years ago, Jack emailed me after reading my book, declaring he was dropping out of college. Over time, I've been amazed by his life's actions, from embracing hustle culture to diving deep into spirituality. Recently, Jack led a retreat in Thailand, inspiring me with his courage and optimistic outlook. Join us as we discuss…
Personal updates about life, including his recent move back to Asia, reflections on work and career paths, parenting experiences, and insights into education and self-publishing. I share the challenges and joys of parenting, how I think about decisions in regards to kids, and evolving thoughts on publishing and creative projects. Topics 00:00 Introduction and Life Updates 05:32 Reflections on…
Hello! I'm back! Expect a slow ramp, but there are new episodes coming! I talked with Nat Eliason about his journey as a writer, from early experiments with ideas to fully embracing writing as a career. We discussed the challenges and rewards of moving from nonfiction to fiction, the trade-offs between traditional and self-publishing, and the importance of audience engagement. We also explored how…
Links: Podcast Blake Boles Dirtbag Rich Site : https://www.blakeboles.com/dbr/ Episode Desription Paul Millerd is a 39-year-old writer, ex-consultant, and advocate for ditching the default path in favor of what he calls “the pathless path.” (pmillerd.com / @p_millerd) Paul walked away from a promising corporate consulting career—think McKinsey, prestige, and six-figure salaries—to pursue a life of…
This was a fun episode. A friend, Matt Yao, reached out to see if he could interview me about my recent book, Good Work. We first connected when he called me in the summer of 2022. He was in the middle of my book and knew he needed to quit his job. Over the last few years, he's been on a transformational journey, experimenting with writing, coaching, and several other side quests. Hope you enjoy…
Cate seemed to be fully entrenched on the default path — she had graduated from Yale and became the Supreme Court advocate on her way to becoming a partner in her law firm. But she didn't want to live the lives of the people around her. She pivoted hard, you could almost hear car brakes squeaking as she made the turn, and over a year she became the number one female poker player in the world. She…
This is from Sky King's podcast: https://skmp.supercast.com/ Guest info: Nat: https://www.nateliason.com/ Nat also has an amazing book coming out which I highly recommend, "Crypto Confidential": https://amzn.to/44BJ74I
Justin is a former startup executive who helped build two startups past valuations of $1B, teams of 150+ people, and raise over $300M in venture capital. Now he’s building his one-person knowledge business toward $5M in annual profit. 🎥🍿 YOUTUBE : WATCH HERE Links: Personal website LinkedIn X (Twitter): @thejustinwelsh The Creator MBA The Saturday Solopreneur ⌛TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - Intro (00:56)…
Henry is a writer, speaker and brand consultant. He joins the podcast to discuss his upcoming book — Second Act — in which he analysises the phenomenon of late bloomers and what we can learn from them. 🎥🍿 YOUTUBE : WATCH HERE Links: Personal website Substack: The Common Reader X (Twitter): @HenryEOliver Second Act ⌛TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - Intro (00:11) - Guest introduction (00:57) - The scripts…
Matt Bateman has a PhD in philosophy. He has abandoned the academic career, to pursue education in the Montessori system. A dad of three, he is passionate about educating children. Having worked a lot with training the teachers in the Montessori approach, he has now taken a step back to focus on writing his book. 🎥🍿 YOUTUBE : WATCH HERE Links: Matt's Twitter — @mbateman montessorium.com…
Steve is a professional coach and the founder of Downshift — the world's first decelerator. He has left a career in venture, but he remains ambitious, it's just that his ambition is now to have a good, multidimentional life, where he can be a good dad for his kids. Matt has left a traditional path early on to write, travel and discover his own path. When he met Steve, he offered him to become his…
David Pakman is a political commentator and the host of The David Pakman Show. He joins the podcast to explore a possible paradigm shift in the way he approaches his work and life after the birth of his daughter. 🎥🍿 YOUTUBE : WATCH HERE Links: The David Pakman Show X (Twitter): @dpakman YouTube: David Pakman Show Instagram: david.pakman ⌛TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - Intro (01:12) - The scripts that…
Justin is the co-founder of Transistor, a podcast hosting platform on which The Pathless Path podcast is hosted. Justin is passionate about designing his company so that all the team benefits. He achieves that by making sure that there is always a financial margin as well as a "margin for our emotional health, margin for our physical health, margin for life." 🎥🍿 YOUTUBE : WATCH HERE Links:…
Dom is the lead guide at the VIVIFY Regerative Leadership Program. He helps leaders develop by taking them on an 8-day backpacking expedition in the Sierra mountains. Dom is passionate about preserving the natural world, staying connected to it and practicing aliveness. 🎥🍿 YOUTUBE : WATCH HERE Links: Personal website VIVIFY (Get $500 off if you mention this podcast) Substack ⌛TIMESTAMPS (00:00)…
Rick Lewis could be succinctly described as "a speaker, author & professional consultant", but such technical labelling wouldn't paint a fair picture of who he really is. He describes what he's doing as "intelligent misbehavior". He's public appearances have a much deeper goal than just pure entertainment. Rick is passionate about discovering and breaking the hidden rules that rule our behavior…
Kevin is the man behind the Epic Gardening channel. Although he had not read the Pathless Path at the time of the recording of this episode, he seems to be living it with every breath he takes. The only constant thing in his life seems to be that is constatly reinventing himself. From professional poker, gaming, web design, indie consulting, blogging to running a huge YouTube channel about…
Enroll In The 5th Cohort of Nervous System Mastery: You can get $250 OFF using the code PATHLESS => nsmastery.com Jonny Miller is a dear friend and I've had the privilege to get to know him closely over the past four years on our own journeys. We've lived in Japan, Indonesia, and Mexico together. When we met we were both single but now are both married in cross-country relationships and have…
Joe is an executive coach and the founder of the Art of Accomplishment. Having worked as a venture capitalist, a consultant and an international banker, Joe discovered meditation on a trip to Asia and has practiced it since for over 25 years since then. Meditating as well as a deep study of various spiritual, psychological and neurological traditions allowed him develop his unique ability to help…
Christine Bader is currently living in Bali, Indonesia, where she is spending time focused on her family and self. She is the author of The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist: When Girl Meets Oil and the former head of CSR for Amazon before leaving in 2017, a journey she details in an amazing essay titled “ The year I learned to quit. ” She talks about leaving the corporate world and shifting her…
Jacqueline Jensen has been a digital nomad for 3.5 years, living and working globally. It might surprise you to find out then, that she's written a book called " Travel Isn't The Answer. " While counter-intuitive, she argues for a return to awe and wonder with what is already around us. She talks about different moments of wonder she has experienced (including a breathtaking view in Montenegro)…
After attending a few corporate recruiting sessions, he didn't take for granted that his path was to enter the corporate world. Twenty years later, he is still carving his own path and has recently returned from Koh Lanta, where he lived with his three children in Thailand for the last six months. We Talked About Ben starting a "tribe" in Fiji Early internet adventures His experiences coaching…
Andrew is a Practical Philosopher who believes that "there may be no greater vexation in our time than the question of how to make a living in a manner that accords with leading a good life." We dive deep into the questions of "what is the good life?" and what he means by "sustaining life." He also shares his perspective on the concept of "Total Work," a phrase first put forth in 1947 by the…
Tash Walker is the founder of a firm and spends her Fridays making marmalade. Before instituting a four-day workweek at her firm, The Mix, she barely had time for her relationships. She decided to start doing research about different ways of working. There had to be a better way than the default options of "Summer Fridays" and "flexible work," that never seem to make less anxiety or stress-ridden.…
John Zeratsky was a designer in the tech industry has worked with hundreds of startups in his time at Google Ventures. He’s also obsessed with redesigning time and thinking about what matters in life. Earlier this year he just got back from 18 months living on his boat "Pineapple" with his wife sailing around Central America, which he wrote about in an article titled “ What quitting my job to sail…
Packy says that his differentiation "is that I’m going to be having more fun than most people” I've been a big fan of the energy he's brought to his writing over the past couple of years. But he didn't set out to have a popular newsletter . His real plan was to launch an in-person community. We chat about how the pandemic helped him figure out why that wasn't a good idea and how he's thinking…
Jovian is an Indonesian living in Taiwan, who is deeply immersed in the American pop culture through the power of the internet. His background in tourism helps him with problem solving and talking too people, he has learnt English from watching MTV, got one of his first jobs because he was browsing Reddit and he is now the CEO of Castro, the podcast app. Jovian is a magnet for opportunities, which…
After a month spent in Taiwan and 6 months into parenthood Angie & Paul share their thoughts and take some deep dives into various other topics. 🎥🍿 YOUTUBE : WATCH HERE ⌛TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - Podcast intro (02:17) - How Angie & Paul think about work & money? (10:12) - Cultural differences, ask vs guess (14:58) - Defining work, feedback from the family (22:22) - How are Angie & Paul thinking about…
Tom and Paul talk through Tom's challenges at this inflection point in his indie career, a book he's planning on shipping and how to think through indie consultant identity crises 🎥🍿 YOUTUBE : WATCH HERE Links: Tom's Site: https://tomcritchlow.com/ Strategic Independent: Book Draft ⌛TIMESTAMPS (00:00) - Intro (00:11) - Guest introduction (02:35) - Tom's problem — indecisiveness (06:49) - What…
Erin is a spiritual psychology and meditation teacher, with a background in clinical psychology. She believes in experiencing rather than explaining and because of that she has been drawn to travel to places like India and Israel, which have helped her connect to her roots and to what matters. Erin is passionate about discovering her true self, meditation, snapshot manifestation, and taking…
Bilal was born in London to a family of Pakistani descent. A curious kid, with an interest in computers, he developed a successful website with over 500 000 readers in his teens. He ended up working at Google in the US. After a while Bilal has left the company to carve his own path. He has founded Creator Lab and discovered a passion for spoken word poetry, which enables him to better connect with…
Ben was a professional rugby player with an English literature degree — something not unheard of in the diverse rugby world, but also certainly not usual. After retiring from the sport, he was confronted with the task of redesigning his life. Although it was initially tough, he took the slow approach of focusing on the things he enjoys doing, which proved very beneficial in the long term. Ben has…
I'm trying to convince Angie to do more episodes, so if you like it please let us know by e-mailing both of us here. (00:16) - - Introduction and agenda for the podcast (03:16) - - Balancing work, fitness, health, and parenthood (13:16) - - Growth of their child and the emotional journey of parenthood (15:16) - - Financial situation and the concept of abundance (26:16) - - Sharing a parenting…
Jenny is an author, international speaker, career and business strategist and executive coach. She has worked in a start up during her college years and then she worked at Google. At some point she decided to follow her passions and left her job. She has already written three books, she runs a business on intuition and she continues discovering her own path. 🎥🍿 YOUTUBE : WATCH HERE Links:…
Hannah is awesome and you should listen to this podcast. She grew up homeschooled, is an endlessly curious person, has a deep sense of agency, and is a pro at carving her own path. She's done a ton of things including writing, coaching, and working at startups and has created jobs for herself, negotiated working remotely (before it was cool), and has done a ton of other things. She recently…
Dawn has a medical degree but she didn't pursue a traditional career as a doctor. She lives off grid with her husband and her homeschooled daughter. Dawn is passionate about finding a work-life balance and she wrote a book for professional women seeking to do so. 🎥🍿 YOUTUBE : WATCH HERE Links: Book: Lean Out Twitter: @DLBakerMD practicebalance.com Instagram: practicebalance ⌛TIMESTAMPS (00:00) -…
Luke has a background on Wall Street and has founded 3 companies in Silicon Valley. He describes his adult life as a constant state of uncertainty. At some point, he took a classics course, which he completed in a 24-hour Starbucks in a couple of months while living in Las Vegas. This led to him to contemplate deeper questions, leaving "entrepreneur Luke" behind and spending 3 years in Rome. Luke…
