Episode summary: Justin Mink had been a regular active athlete and had started up a very successful company, but then he fell ill with mono. Mono really took its toll on Justin and he had to step down from his own company.
He invested a lot of time and money into getting better, but mono doesn’t have an easy cure. It seemed as if the more he was doing, the worse he felt. He then decided it was just time to accept that he has mono and he can’t control this illness and how it makes him feel.
He was going to switch his focus on improving his inner self and finding happiness within. Once he shifted the mindset, the rest followed. His mind, his spirit, and his body felt a lot better.
Guest Name & Bio: Justin Mink has spent a career in leadership and founder roles at companies that have grown from 0-1000s of employees, raised millions of dollars in capital and been valued at over $1B.
Career highlights include cofounder of Music Audience Exchange, an innovative music marketing technology company based in Frisco that today has over 80 employees, CMO at the cannabis big data firm New Frontier Data, and sales leader of the Franchise team at Scorpion, a digital marketing firm that has spent 11 consecutive years on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America list.
Today, as a Professional Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) Implementer, he helps entrepreneurs and leadership teams solve root problems and lead more effectively through a simple set of proven, practical tools.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION
[Nick McGowan]: Hey Justin welcome to the show how are you doing? [Justin Mink]: I’m good it’s great to be her neck thanks for having me [Nick McGowan]: absolutely I’m glad that you’re here so I got to call this out first you’re [Nick McGowan]: in Dallas right? [Justin Mink]: yep [Nick McGowan]: we didn’t talk about this before we hit recording but i’m from Philly are you [Nick McGowan]: are you an eagle’s fan? [Justin Mink]: well i [Nick McGowan]: are [Justin Mink]: got [Nick McGowan]: you [Justin Mink]: one [Nick McGowan]: a [Justin Mink]: better [Nick McGowan]: football [Justin Mink]: for you man [Nick McGowan]: fan [Justin Mink]: i am a i’m a washington commandersfan
[Nick McGowan]: oh no i’m so [Justin Mink]: and [Nick McGowan]: sorry [Justin Mink]: yeah i know i know i amtoo i used to be a flag boy
[Justin Mink]: i call it a flag guy forthe red skins at the time so i
[Nick McGowan]: nice [Justin Mink]: used to run around the field fedfield with a g with the team about
[Nick McGowan]: wow [Justin Mink]: fifteen years ago [Nick McGowan]: wow [Justin Mink]: so i die hard [Nick McGowan]: and that’s that’s pretty cool i meanobviously there whole organization is going through some
[Nick McGowan]: rough stuff right now the whole sniderthing and everything
[Justin Mink]: don’t [Nick McGowan]: else that’s [Justin Mink]: don’t [Nick McGowan]: happening [Justin Mink]: rub it in nick and [Nick McGowan]: i [Justin Mink]: if you throw batteries at me duringthis this interview i’m going to be a
[Justin Mink]: little ticked off [Nick McGowan]: well at first i was wondering youknow are you a cowboy’s fan and we’re
[Nick McGowan]: going to talk in that direction [Justin Mink]: a oh [Nick McGowan]: um but [Justin Mink]: that we [Nick McGowan]: hey [Justin Mink]: can agree on [Nick McGowan]: yeh yes we absolutely can thank [Justin Mink]: common [Nick McGowan]: you [Justin Mink]: enemy [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: exactly but hey man i wish thebest for once i enjoy him i like
[Nick McGowan]: him as a person and i hopehope they’re successful but
[Justin Mink]: oh [Nick McGowan]: what after revere said recently it’s funnybecause this episode is not going to omeo
[Nick McGowan]: for like another couple of months soby the
[Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: time it happens like probably be closeto the super ball and people will be
[Nick McGowan]: like what is what is going onum
[Justin Mink]: right [Nick McGowan]: but that’s not what we’re here totalk about man i appreciate you i appreciate
[Nick McGowan]: you jumping on you were actually referredby another guest and that guest was awesome
[Nick McGowan]: so cory quinn was a guest onthe show and as soon as i asked
[Nick McGowan]: him hey who else you know wouldbe a good fit for the show you
[Nick McGowan]: instantly popped up so justin why don’tyou give us a bit of context tell
[Nick McGowan]: us what you do [Justin Mink]: what [Nick McGowan]: and something that most people don’t knowabout you that’s a little odd or bizarre
[Justin Mink]: yeah core is an awesome guy dearfriend former colleague um so i can’t wait
[Justin Mink]: to hear his episode so gosh i’ma professional es implementer i help this is
[Justin Mink]: i teach coach facilitate them mastering asimple set of practical tools to help them
[Justin Mink]: get more of what they want outof their business run a better business live
[Justin Mink]: better lives gotch something weird but i’velived weird life i am
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: i used to be a club promoteri used to write under a pen name
[Justin Mink]: for a magazine a single column [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: i had dinner at lionel ritchie’s houseonce i was a cabana boy at calvin
[Justin Mink]: clients house in the hamptons um [Nick McGowan]: what m [Justin Mink]: list goes on [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: about weird weird ship in my life [Nick McGowan]: uh [Justin Mink]: it’s been kind of [Nick McGowan]: uh uh [Justin Mink]: it was fun for a while [Nick McGowan]: yeah man it sounds it i meani guess i didn’t need to ask that
[Nick McGowan]: question because [Justin Mink]: oh [Nick McGowan]: you pretty much told me you werethe flag guy at
[Justin Mink]: flat guy is the high [Nick McGowan]: the [Justin Mink]: light [Nick McGowan]: red [Justin Mink]: of my [Nick McGowan]: skins [Justin Mink]: life let’s be honest [Nick McGowan]: so [Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: yeah how the hell did you getto that position you know one day you’re
[Nick McGowan]: like you’re probably wondering how i gothere with a flag in my hand running
[Nick McGowan]: around the field [Justin Mink]: yeah i was friends with a lotof the cheer leaders and the cheer leading
[Justin Mink]: coach with a buddy and it wasnot a paid gig but we went went
[Justin Mink]: to the parking lot and tail gatedand you know couple of my colleague got
[Justin Mink]: fired for being drunk and running thewrong way on the field
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: but we got to basically as closeas you can be to being a part
[Justin Mink]: of the game without being a playera team member it was it was a
[Justin Mink]: pretty cool experience of course the teamwas terrible at the time so there was
[Justin Mink]: that to contend with but it wasstill fun
[Nick McGowan]: that’s such a cool thing that mostpeople aren’t able to say you know it’s
[Nick McGowan]: not [Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: like um and that’s not something thatyou found you know a job hiring sort
[Nick McGowan]: of situation like in the classified you’relike that could be the flag guy
[Justin Mink]: no [Nick McGowan]: but through your connections you got tothat point so
[Justin Mink]: that’s right [Nick McGowan]: man it sounds like you’ve just readingthrough your your bio and a bit about
[Nick McGowan]: you and the content that i seeon linked because we’re connected on linked in
[Nick McGowan]: it look like you’ve kind of liveda crazy life so i want to unpack
[Nick McGowan]: some of the stories are there somemajor key moments in time but you can
[Nick McGowan]: kind of look back at as apivotal moment where you’re like man that moment
[Nick McGowan]: right there that change me [Justin Mink]: yeah well i got really sick cofounded a company in dallas and of twenty
[Justin Mink]: thirteen a music marketing [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: company and i just returned from asebatical i spent a few months solo back
[Justin Mink]: packing around south east asia after mylast pretty intense seven year gig started founded
[Justin Mink]: a company here that today is doingreally well we raised a bunch of money
[Justin Mink]: it’s got eighty employes music marketing technologycompany in dallas and but i didn’t last
[Justin Mink]: very long there unfortun ally because igot mono which is not fun
[Nick McGowan]: oh [Justin Mink]: for any human but it hits adultshard and it hits adults who are working
[Justin Mink]: eight hour weeks even harder [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: um and so i wasn’t able torecover and it turned into this chronic illness
[Justin Mink]: i had to actually leave company iwas also engaged so my life was just
[Justin Mink]: kind of dominated by work and itwas just and my health at the time
[Justin Mink]: and uh silly me wherever you gothere you are
[Nick McGowan]: hm [Justin Mink]: traveled half way around the country backto where i’m from originally in the d
[Justin Mink]: c area with my then then fiancetook another sea level role at a start
[Justin Mink]: up doing big data and analytic inthe cannabis industry but as my health continued
[Justin Mink]: to fail and wound up spending tendays at the mayo clinic and
[Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: sick pretty much constantly debilitating illness andso um it’s something i stil deal with
[Justin Mink]: ten years later much better place thani was then but it was a real
[Justin Mink]: journey has been a journey of selfdiscovery of learning how to operate a lot
[Justin Mink]: differently in the world western medicine isnot designed to treat is that things like
[Justin Mink]: what i have contended with and ourexpectations in this society is give us the
[Justin Mink]: red pull and make it go awayand
[Nick McGowan]: hm [Justin Mink]: fortunately that doesn’t exist for some somemore tricky things that medicine doesn’t yet understand
[Justin Mink]: so i think [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: getting sick it was probably the mostpivotal moment of my life i don’t
[Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: think i don’t know if i wouldchange
[Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: it though i think about that allthe time i really don’t know
[Nick McGowan]: interesting [Justin Mink]: if i would change anything [Nick McGowan]: yeah that’s a good point and ithink a lot of people when they think
[Nick McGowan]: back [Justin Mink]: oh [Nick McGowan]: or think about thinking back like onyour death bed what are you going to
[Nick McGowan]: think you know i shouldn’t have workedor i should have spent more time in
[Nick McGowan]: my family or what have you havemoments where you’re fighting something like people had
[Nick McGowan]: fought covid or people fight cancer atdifferent times throughout their careers and things that
[Nick McGowan]: they’re going through and have some ofthat stuff kind of linger i know and
[Nick McGowan]: there’s kind of that with men whereyou just get kind of like a little
[Nick McGowan]: bit of cold an you’re like ohmy god the world’s over i need a
[Nick McGowan]: blank my mama [Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: and some chicken [Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: soup and leave me alone sort ofthing i know that that can kind of
[Nick McGowan]: drain on you naturally [Justin Mink]: ah [Nick McGowan]: even if you got alergies or somestupid little cold so something like that for
[Nick McGowan]: you to go through a company thatyou had and then to leave and to
[Nick McGowan]: join another company that’s got to betough the mind as well because your body
[Nick McGowan]: is feeling it and your mind isthen being drained by all of that so
[Nick McGowan]: how did you manage your mindset lookingback at it now in that period of
[Nick McGowan]: time [Justin Mink]: yea i it’s something that i’ve wondereda lot about becase i managed to be
[Justin Mink]: pretty high functioning [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: um [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: it’s funny i’m recently in a funnyit’s been such a long journey but even
[Justin Mink]: even recently and through it all ovidcertainly didn’t help right
[Nick McGowan]: sure [Justin Mink]: stirred a lot of things that ithat i put to bed it kind of
[Justin Mink]: brought them back to the surface [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: so i think i probably out vebe healthier a lot sooner had i no
[Justin Mink]: gotten covid um so that sort ofextended and exacerbated things but i looked back
[Justin Mink]: i was in survival mode you knowand i recently started seeing a sports sports
[Justin Mink]: psychologist believe it or not because iwas an athlete and i feel like that
[Justin Mink]: muscle sort of atrofeed that sort ofcompetitive
[Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: fire m and i recently started seeinga sports psychologist ecause i thought well i’m
[Justin Mink]: finally ready to really think about selfimprovement performance improvement beyond just like feeling okay
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: and she said you know what thatathlete mindset had not atrophy it was just
[Justin Mink]: fully focused on survival and [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: now you’re you’ve sort of switched thatbecause you’ve survived and kind of gotten through
[Justin Mink]: the other side now you can bemore intentional about improvement and so i think
[Justin Mink]: i just i just fought fought [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: fought fought yeah [Nick McGowan]: m i’m sure that made you moresick and more sick and at times you
[Nick McGowan]: know but it probably also helped getyour mind off of it in certain ways
[Nick McGowan]: because you could dive into projects iknow there are moments where you kind of
[Nick McGowan]: sit there even if you kind oflock your office door and you’re like i
[Nick McGowan]: just need a moment to myself itwill last for a moment or two but
[Nick McGowan]: then you and starts picking up otherstuff and you go oh shit i got
[Nick McGowan]: to grab this or get a groceryshopping or i need to take my shoes
[Nick McGowan]: off because they’ve been on all daylike your brain will us start popping different
[Nick McGowan]: things in was there [Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: a lot of cloudiness that happened ordo you feel like you were kind of
[Nick McGowan]: able to probably push yourself through andbe at the top of your game or
[Nick McGowan]: at least as close as you couldbe while kind of pushing through the sick
[Nick McGowan]: brain in a sense [Justin Mink]: yeah i mean i definitely pushing onmultiple fronts i was i was a little
[Justin Mink]: too intense about healing i was [Nick McGowan]: also [Justin Mink]: i just took an intensity to everysingle i mean
[Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: nick i can’t tell you how manymodalities tors therapyes oh god i don’t even
[Justin Mink]: want to know how much money i’vespent
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: on like figuring this out it probablywould make me sick if i saw a
[Justin Mink]: number and it was so intense iwas just like
[Nick McGowan]: hm [Justin Mink]: the state we’re so high like everybet was a thousand dollar hand you know
[Justin Mink]: and so [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: i was always pursuing something but thatthat was always occupying mind but but i
[Justin Mink]: had my help set so high onthings that inevitably i still expected the magic
[Justin Mink]: cure when it didn’t happen i waslet down and it was on to the
[Justin Mink]: next one um meanwhile i’m focusing onwork and that felt like a healthy place
[Justin Mink]: to put my mind and occupy myattention and sometimes forget about how i was
[Justin Mink]: feeling when you get into that zoneand you get your
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: mind locked into a project or taskyou can kind of go in that flow
[Justin Mink]: state and you’re not thinking about yourbody any more so so yeah between those
[Justin Mink]: two things it was [Nick McGowan]: oh [Justin Mink]: you know it was an intense periodreally intense especially over covid when you know
[Justin Mink]: we’re all locked up had time tojust sit with ourselves for a long time
[Nick McGowan]: hm yeah absolutely i know that startup a lot for a lot of people
[Nick McGowan]: just thinking about different things career changerelationship changes all of that i’ve gone through
[Nick McGowan]: some of that stuff as well soi think there’s a lot of people that
[Nick McGowan]: can relate in that sort of wayand i don’t want to sound weird but
[Nick McGowan]: i appreciate when i have guests thatcome on and tell kind of a tale
[Nick McGowan]: that’s similar to what a lot ofwell experience but at a depth where most
[Nick McGowan]: people didn’t go through mono or getcovid or and get covid you know and
[Nick McGowan]: kind of work through that and [Justin Mink]: m [Nick McGowan]: have to work through that so iappreciate that you’re able hop on here and
[Nick McGowan]: talk through this stuff kind of retrospectivelywhile still kind of processing through it because
[Nick McGowan]: for the most part i think incertain ways things are relative because somebody else
[Nick McGowan]: is pain may be greater than allof that but on a smaller
[Justin Mink]: right [Nick McGowan]: scale compared to what you’ve been throughso we can all kind of relate to
[Nick McGowan]: that in that sort of sense andright now going through careers going through what’s
[Nick McGowan]: potentially the recession of the know allthe all the stuff that i think we
[Nick McGowan]: could look at and just get reallyfrustrated with and go well with the funk
[Nick McGowan]: why even do this so going throughthat time where you felt like you just
[Nick McGowan]: kept hitting door after door after doorbut there was still some glimmer of hope
[Nick McGowan]: that was in there now as youlook back at that if you were to
[Nick McGowan]: talk to somebody that’s going through thatright now is there some sort of advice
[Nick McGowan]: you’d give that person other than thecan like you can do it you know
[Nick McGowan]: you’ve got this i keep at itthat sort of deal what sort of real
[Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: ship would you be able to kindof put your hand on their shoulder and
[Nick McGowan]: go look this is what’s coming iswhat you’re goin to go through
[Justin Mink]: ah it’s a great question i wouldsay
[Nick McGowan]: oh [Justin Mink]: stop looking for the magic it rightthe silver
[Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: bullet it doesn’t exist and start [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: instead of being desperate in your searchtake a more curious curious approach to it
[Justin Mink]: get interested [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: apply a lighter touch we’re not everythingis so high stakes and and really take
[Justin Mink]: responsibility and own your choices your lifeand your your health from a physical and
[Justin Mink]: mental spiritual and emotional perspective and beokay with whatever happens you have to be
[Nick McGowan]: hm [Justin Mink]: okay the definition of of happiness isthe further the delta is between the way
[Justin Mink]: things are and the way you wantthem to be
[Nick McGowan]: hm [Justin Mink]: and so you can always strive andyou always should strive for improvement but if
[Justin Mink]: you always expect it and you can’tokay with the current state you’ll always be
[Justin Mink]: unhappy even if you’re fully healthy andyou the next million dollars is when life
[Justin Mink]: is going [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: to be good right [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: so you know for me it wasjust a massive massive lean experience in hata
[Justin Mink]: change my entire way i moved inthe world order to be okay and when
[Justin Mink]: i did that’s when my body startedto follow my mind set and heal
[Nick McGowan]: interesting i love how that stuff worksyou know it’s almost like in some way
[Nick McGowan]: sort of giving in get ahead yougive into
[Justin Mink]: totally [Nick McGowan]: it and say all right here weare we’re moving in this direction um i
[Nick McGowan]: think certain people will look at thatas a faith driven thing or an intuition
[Nick McGowan]: sort of thing or here certain differentways you can kind of color it or
[Nick McGowan]: put different glasses on but it’s allabout the same thing of understanding
[Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: right and being like all right i’mhere fucking whatever is going to happen is
[Nick McGowan]: going to happen the only thing ican do is be account to me and
[Nick McGowan]: keep moving forward and i don’t wantto harp on what you’ve gone through but
[Nick McGowan]: here you are now here’s what you’redoing so how do you live differently now
[Nick McGowan]: having gone through all that and iget that you’re still kind of processing through
[Nick McGowan]: some of it and working through someof it but as you see in the
[Nick McGowan]: next couple of years as you’re kindof moving ahead how do you see things
[Nick McGowan]: being different beaus it [Justin Mink]: yeah and you hit the down onthe head surrender right that’s
[Nick McGowan]: hm [Justin Mink]: that’s a concept or a mentality andfaith but i mean i think it just
[Justin Mink]: applies to anything in life you knowthe whether it’s you know god the universe
[Justin Mink]: whatever it is you believe in [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: you know we only have so muchcontrol and we have to be as best
[Justin Mink]: we [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: can within a framework where we knowwe’re not the ones you know who are
[Justin Mink]: going to decide ultimately what what happensthere’s so many things that are out of
[Justin Mink]: our control and we just have tomake best of it you know the way
[Justin Mink]: i’ve hed i think if i hadn’tthrough this experience i’d probably still be drinking
[Justin Mink]: away more than i needed to orwant or should
[Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: i’d have a much unhealthier life stylei probably wouldn’t i would have more pleasure
[Justin Mink]: in life but i wouldn’t have asmuch true happiness and joy i think i
[Justin Mink]: would be less satisfied because i wouldbe always looking for what’s next
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: very ancyanxty like [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: always [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: with my mind you know four stepsahead and it’s been very difficult over my
[Justin Mink]: life to be present so i think [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: i have way more presence and moregratitude now then then
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: i would have otherwise and i probablywould have just lived to very certainly nothing
[Justin Mink]: is perfect i’m not saying i haveit all figured out far from it but
[Justin Mink]: i probably would have lived a lifethat was very reactive and not intentional
[Nick McGowan]: o [Justin Mink]: forever until i died [Nick McGowan]: dan yeah and that’s one of thosethings you can think about now you don’t
[Nick McGowan]: have to be on your death bedto think oh i shouldn’t have but that
[Nick McGowan]: will scare the ship out of youto even think
[Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: not be intentional i’ve found the intentionalityof life to be interesting because as we
[Nick McGowan]: grow and i can only say bymy own account because of my own life
[Nick McGowan]: but as i’ve grown and i’ve beenable to look at things differently and my
[Nick McGowan]: tensions have been different and i’m rightthere with you as you go through stuff
[Nick McGowan]: it shapes you or at least itshould it should gives you the opportunity to
[Nick McGowan]: allow you to shape yourself and beable to set your intentions different but there’s
[Nick McGowan]: also seasons right like seasons where youkind of flow through things and where things
[Nick McGowan]: are reactionary because they’re coming at youbut within that you can still be intentional
[Nick McGowan]: and i found it to be moreprinciple based where it’s i’m going to take
[Nick McGowan]: the intentions of this is what isokay with me like i’m not going a
[Nick McGowan]: go murder somebody that’s not okay that’son don’t fucking do nick list you know
[Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: um so [Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: when you think of your intentionality andlooking at what you’re doing now you’ve started
[Nick McGowan]: a couple of companies you’ve run thingsyou’ve been in different industries do you find
[Nick McGowan]: that you’re kind of in that spotwhere your intention is what you’re doing right
[Nick McGowan]: now is the thing that you knowyou need to be doing or you still
[Nick McGowan]: kind of on that path towards that [Justin Mink]: hundred per cent what i’m doing now [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: everything sort of led me to thisand it’s almost like one of those things
[Justin Mink]: where your consciousness is the last toknow
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: because every other cell in your bodyalready knows so by the time you make
[Justin Mink]: the decision it’s like you’re okay [Nick McGowan]: been waiting [Justin Mink]: bro like catch [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: up like come on we’ve been waitingon you
[Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: so i mean what i’m doing nowis i really i think in a large
[Justin Mink]: part has helped me get healthy becausei’m finally in a place and in a
[Justin Mink]: role where all things are coming togetherand coalescing in a way that supports the
[Justin Mink]: life that i i meant to livethat i want to live and that it’s
[Justin Mink]: healthy [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: for me to live [Nick McGowan]: man i bet that’s got to bevastly different having conversations when you think from
[Nick McGowan]: a business perspective having those conversations nowstill knowing what you had gone through and
[Nick McGowan]: what conversations you had to have asyou were sick um but you had also
[Nick McGowan]: touched on relationships you said you hada fiance at that point now there’s a
[Nick McGowan]: balance that is typically kind of difficultespecially here in the u s where were
[Nick McGowan]: basically just fucking work you [Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: don’t there’s like the complete opposite wherepeople are like i don’t do anything at
[Nick McGowan]: all i get government money or whathave you and the other people
[Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: that are just working and working andworking trying to figure out ways that they
[Nick McGowan]: can you know do it the rightway but what does balance look like for
[Nick McGowan]: you know like how are you balancethroughout your day so you’re not just fucking
[Nick McGowan]: gong ho and driving the basically thewrong way
[Justin Mink]: yeah i mean it’s that’s part ofthe joy of what i’m doing is that
[Justin Mink]: flexibility i’m a solo prenurit my bossis a bit of a dick but i
[Justin Mink]: work for myself and you [Nick McGowan]: uh [Justin Mink]: know i can take my family justwent with me on a business trip and
[Justin Mink]: so like they came in the carand we got a air band b and
[Justin Mink]: they hung out of the park whilei was with my client they showed up
[Justin Mink]: pick me up at my clients youknow house where we conducted a session and
[Justin Mink]: met everybody and i [Nick McGowan]: so [Justin Mink]: can [Nick McGowan]: cool [Justin Mink]: take a tuesday off and have lunchwith my wife and um you know that
[Justin Mink]: i worked primarily from a home officeand i my son now gets up before
[Justin Mink]: he wakes his mom up creeps intomy my office and sits on my lap
[Justin Mink]: to look at pictures and just manthat’s it that’s it me
[Nick McGowan]: yeah that’s awesome [Justin Mink]: that’s it [Nick McGowan]: yeah i know they’re different different waysof looking at success people you know like
[Nick McGowan]: you had said earlier you keep chasingafter the money you can keep chasing after
[Nick McGowan]: the things but it sounds like you’reactively living that you know but you also
[Nick McGowan]: pointed out a earlier like you wouldn’tyou wouldn’t change it you wouldn’t change the
[Nick McGowan]: ship that you’ve been through do youthink that’s because you’ve kind of forgiven yourself
[Nick McGowan]: for forgiving the situations of things thatyou’ve gone through do you still have some
[Nick McGowan]: processing to do throughout those whole situationsbecause honestly man we’ve only scratched scratch a
[Nick McGowan]: surface we talked about you being sickand you told me that you were running
[Nick McGowan]: around with flags in your hands anddoing all these other things so i can
[Nick McGowan]: almost guarantee there’s other crazy ship inthere so being able to kind of manage
[Nick McGowan]: through that you know [Justin Mink]: yeah yeah i mean that was thehardest thing is when you know what you’re
[Justin Mink]: capable of and you know that youcan’t fully manifest that like that’s
[Nick McGowan]: oh [Justin Mink]: sad when you [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: can’t fully be who you are andso you have to put a government for
[Justin Mink]: me if i like tap back intothat fire i would pay a price during
[Justin Mink]: that stretch and then have to go [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: getting to bed for a week tolick my wounds so i couldn’t sustain it
[Justin Mink]: so for me i had to learnhow to walk this kind of middle path
[Justin Mink]: of sustainability [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: where i could tap into that thatkind of that like that maniac energy but
[Justin Mink]: also i learn to walk a fineline back it out and kind of find
[Justin Mink]: that sweet spot find the flow [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: and i think that’s much more sustainableas you as anybody even those who are
[Justin Mink]: healthy gets older right [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: you learn how you know there’s there’sa who is the research who research really
[Justin Mink]: high performing like artists and scientists andinevitably unless they adapt the new mindset as
[Justin Mink]: their career ages they get really dissatisfiedand depressed because they try to continue to
[Justin Mink]: meet the standards that they’re younger selfset
[Nick McGowan]: hm [Justin Mink]: and uh and really becoming a teacher [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: is the way to transition from becominga creator a problem solve or a door
[Justin Mink]: a builder transition to another phase ofyour career in a satisfactory way is to
[Justin Mink]: to then use what you’ve learned toteach others um because if you try to
[Justin Mink]: do the same stuff that you weredoing when you’re
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: thirty if you try to keep upthat when you’re sixty you just can’t you
[Justin Mink]: just [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: can’t so [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: so yeah what i’m doing now isvery much being teacher and and it’s true
[Justin Mink]: i mean it really is true that’sthat’s the shift that’s that’s proven to kind
[Justin Mink]: of satisfy all my desires you know [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: and and makes it [Nick McGowan]: hm [Justin Mink]: feel like i am manifesting who ireally am without having a whole back
[Nick McGowan]: well yeah that’s that’s huge to beable to kind of walk through that and
[Nick McGowan]: i think if you if you understandthat there’s the animal that’s within you that
[Nick McGowan]: you can kind of poke at andbe hey i’m going to need your energy
[Nick McGowan]: in a couple of minutes then that’s [Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: a power of itself to be ableto say i’m going to turn this ship
[Nick McGowan]: on um and you’re right man imean typically you don’t have to be crazy
[Nick McGowan]: you just don’t there’s no need fortasmania devil to come out unless there’s an
[Nick McGowan]: actual need and we’re typically not everin the spot where we need to take
[Nick McGowan]: you know a car off a childor you know burning you know run into
[Nick McGowan]: a burning building at least that’s notwhat our professions are um but being able
[Nick McGowan]: to tap back into that and havingthat power it’s interesting where you go throughout
[Nick McGowan]: your day where really think about howmany times you would jump back into that
[Nick McGowan]: where you just be like fucking i’mgonna do this thing and you run after
[Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: it when really you’re like now okayi should go do this but first let
[Nick McGowan]: me go let me go grab adrink and then i’ll go do that thing
[Justin Mink]: yep [Nick McGowan]: things are much more relaxed now andisn’t an interesting how you can kind of
[Nick McGowan]: get through that stuff with without puttingall that energy to it but i find
[Nick McGowan]: it super interesting where that energy comesfrom like i realize growing up that that’s
[Nick McGowan]: how people talk to people that’s howthey did things do you feel like you
[Nick McGowan]: kind of got that tasmanian energy orthe crazy energy from parents or you know
[Nick McGowan]: maybe early mentors or anything or youjust kind of sucking nuts in your head
[Nick McGowan]: and you’re like i need to getsome of the energy out
[Justin Mink]: ah i don’t know man i alwaysheld myself to a super high standard
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: achievement maybe i was like for approvali don’t know
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: if you want to get into childhoodstuff i but i was my own worst
[Justin Mink]: enemy because i would end up goingso hard and wouldn’t let myself like my
[Justin Mink]: body i’ve had seven ne surgeries [Nick McGowan]: true [Justin Mink]: just have my my seventh few weeksago both my a c ls were torn
[Justin Mink]: my shoulders torn up all from sportsbecause i wouldn’t let myself stop because i
[Justin Mink]: held i had this weird like hangup that i couldn’t stop even if my
[Justin Mink]: body told me to so i’d goto a point where it broke and that
[Justin Mink]: seems to have happened in life overand over and over again and i mean
[Justin Mink]: i think we’re all to a degreewired in a certain way where like our
[Justin Mink]: brains think the saber tooth tiger ischasing us all the time because
[Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: all this ship dinging constantly and requiring [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: our constant attention and it’s always likeour drinals are shot we’re always in fighter
[Justin Mink]: flight and you know we’re still thesame basic makeup as we were when our
[Justin Mink]: you know ancient ancestors were roaming thesavannas
[Nick McGowan]: hm [Justin Mink]: um and so we get caught inthis state of like it’s just everything gets
[Justin Mink]: shot and exhausted [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: and so you almost have to moreto maintain some equanimity you have to lie
[Justin Mink]: like you said almost condition yourself tolike not respond to the stimuli and just
[Justin Mink]: step back and take control over thatand dip in and out when you feel
[Justin Mink]: like you know it’s it’s valuable sonot be held slave to that all those
[Justin Mink]: influences and distractions and i’ve turned offso many notifications over fast two years it’s
[Justin Mink]: like it’s gross [Nick McGowan]: uh [Justin Mink]: it’s gross [Nick McGowan]: h [Justin Mink]: you [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: it’s stacked against us it really isit’s like so a
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: rambling answer but man good good question [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: yeah you got to work hard andbe intentional to kind of get to take
[Justin Mink]: a step back [Nick McGowan]: yeah well i love that sort ofstuff where you and i can talk about
[Nick McGowan]: that like even now we can thinkabout one of those times where notification goes
[Nick McGowan]: off like i try to even flipover my phone whenever i have especially a
[Nick McGowan]: podcast interview because then [Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: i can’t see the dumb notifications oflike oh you should change this running back
[Nick McGowan]: for this week in your fantasy teamor did you know
[Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: this person on linked in you’re likeoh no i don’t do so and so
[Nick McGowan]: my brain shouldn’t be going there likeit just shouldn’t
[Justin Mink]: right [Nick McGowan]: be but we instantly get pulled intothat ship so what i was saying was
[Nick McGowan]: i find it interesting how you andi can sit here and talk about it
[Nick McGowan]: and look at that situation as likea third party because it’s so difficult in
[Nick McGowan]: the moment to not pick up yourphone to check your email to check all
[Nick McGowan]: of these things and it’s difficult tojust set up a time and place to
[Nick McGowan]: be able to do stuff without restrictingyourself so i hear different people talk about
[Nick McGowan]: time blocking um and different just tipsand tricks that they use to be able
[Nick McGowan]: to keep their attention on things buthonestly i think it all just differs it’s
[Nick McGowan]: all dependent on what you fucking wantto work with what works for you
[Justin Mink]: ah [Nick McGowan]: like i’ve tried [Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: different things and certain ways work forme that i kind of piece them together
[Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: or what have you but what youfind in that you can still not only
[Nick McGowan]: get your work done put out contentand just be you work with your clients
[Nick McGowan]: and have a nice i don’t wantto say relaxing day but move through your
[Nick McGowan]: day without your [Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: king hair on fire so what haveyou kind of implemented in life to be
[Nick McGowan]: able to do that [Justin Mink]: i mean i’m very much a flowthinker
[Nick McGowan]: oh [Justin Mink]: um versa systems [Nick McGowan]: yah [Justin Mink]: are a systems thinker you know soi what i’ve done is really just try
[Justin Mink]: to harness the energy that i havein that moment
[Nick McGowan]: hm [Justin Mink]: and and ride it as much asi can um m you know this structure
[Justin Mink]: i have some structure to my dayespecially to start the day but i’m feeling
[Justin Mink]: like i’m not in a place wherei can get something done what i used
[Justin Mink]: to do i think what a lotof people do just look at the screen
[Justin Mink]: for [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: four hours and you know try towork but you know switch over to doing
[Justin Mink]: wasting their time most of the timebut
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: like forcing through it whereas if iget into that mode i’ll just stop go
[Justin Mink]: outside [Nick McGowan]: smart [Justin Mink]: for a walk or get a workout in a read for a little bit
[Justin Mink]: and then see if i can getback into it and when i’m like in
[Justin Mink]: the morning i have a cup ofcoffee and i sit down my computer and
[Justin Mink]: i’m flowing i’ll say screw it nowork out this morning like no meditate no
[Justin Mink]: whatever i’m just going to go because [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: i’m in it now and next thingyou know it’s ten hours later and i’ve
[Justin Mink]: had day so i just i reallyjust listened to myself and go where the
[Justin Mink]: energy is flowing and i don’t beatmyself up about it
[Nick McGowan]: awesome yeah the grace to be ableto allow yourself to not go to the
[Nick McGowan]: gym because you’re in a flow andbeing able
[Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: to just stick with what you’re doingi love that sort of outlook i think
[Nick McGowan]: the creative in me really just lovesevery bit of flowing and there are certain
[Nick McGowan]: times where i know disciplines and kindof routines help you mentioned about meditation is
[Nick McGowan]: meditation part of a routine that youhave even if you’re you know not kicking
[Nick McGowan]: it to the side because you’re inkind of a flow state but just naturally
[Nick McGowan]: in a typical day [Justin Mink]: yeah i mean i used to meditatemore i’ve lost got into him haf method
[Justin Mink]: for a long time the tomo breathing [Nick McGowan]: hm [Justin Mink]: and cold exposure and my morning routinehas changed so many time over the past
[Justin Mink]: couple of years many many cases becausei was all these different things for healing
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: it’s trying to fix myself um sonow yeah i meditate occasionally you know i
[Justin Mink]: do stretching and like yoga in themornings but i mean not going to lie
[Justin Mink]: there are lots of mornings where i’llget out of bed coffee on sit down
[Justin Mink]: in front of the computer and ifi’m feeling it i’m not going to stop
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: and morning is often times quiet there’sno there’s no distraction and that’s where i
[Justin Mink]: feel it my most creative it’s interestinglike you you read like scientists like andrew
[Justin Mink]: huberman who i love who’s all aboutneuro science and kind of bio hacking your
[Justin Mink]: behavior you know and how morning shouldbe reserved for kind of structure systems task
[Justin Mink]: afternoons or when creativity hits for meon the morning i’m the most creative and
[Justin Mink]: the most ambitious if i can [Nick McGowan]: hm [Justin Mink]: get catch that wave in the morningsometimes i can ride it the rest of
[Justin Mink]: the day and then then everything isshot i’m like i’ll do everything else when
[Justin Mink]: i can because that means i canbecause i know i’m gonna have to i’m
[Justin Mink]: going to have a rough day thenext day or maybe
[Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: couple of days later [Nick McGowan]: m [Justin Mink]: where i’m not going to have thatflow and i need to give myself the
[Justin Mink]: grace to just kind of chill [Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: have a chill day [Nick McGowan]: sure i think of that as thefuture me like there are times where i’m
[Nick McGowan]: like [Justin Mink]: a [Nick McGowan]: you know future men is going tohate me for this fuckhim whatever and i
[Nick McGowan]: do the thing [Justin Mink]: ah [Nick McGowan]: and then future mes like damn itpast me but there in times where i
[Nick McGowan]: think you just got to you justgot to call it right like look
[Justin Mink]: yep [Nick McGowan]: i’m here i’m doing this thing thisis what i’m feeling and you follow with
[Nick McGowan]: that and you move through with thatenergy and
[Justin Mink]: yep [Nick McGowan]: we’ve cover a lot of stuff andjustin i appreciate
[Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: you being on i appreciate you beingopen and vulnerable with us what sort of
[Nick McGowan]: advice would you give somebody that’s ontheir path towards self mastery
[Justin Mink]: yea it’s it’s a journey it isa journey and so you know understand that
[Justin Mink]: um really there’s never a destination forself mastery it is a constant uh you
[Justin Mink]: know the moment you think you knowit all is the moment
[Nick McGowan]: yeah [Justin Mink]: you stop learning and so self masteryis an endeavor that will never that won’t
[Justin Mink]: die until you do and so youknow just a very curious curiosity an insatiable
[Justin Mink]: curiosity versa a desperate desire to improveis i think the most sustainable healthy way
[Justin Mink]: to to mindset to bring on thatpath my experience
[Nick McGowan]: awesome well i appreciate your sharing thatand share with us where people can find
[Nick McGowan]: you where can they connect with you [Justin Mink]: yeah you can look me up onlinked in i’m really active just look up
[Justin Mink]: justin mink and you’ll find me mywebsite for e s is es worldwide dot
[Justin Mink]: com forward slash justin dash mink iam i n k like a like a
[Justin Mink]: fur coat [Nick McGowan]: i’m sure that’s not the first orlast time you’ve said that
[Justin Mink]: no it’s couple of times yeah [Nick McGowan]: just a few well man again [Justin Mink]: yeah [Nick McGowan]: thank you so much for being onappreciate your time great chatting with you and
[Nick McGowan]: everybody all that information is going tobe in the show notes and thank you
[Nick McGowan]: for being with us today [Justin Mink]: thanks nick was great great chatting withyou i appreciate being on