Rebecca Davis Interview: Co-Creator of "Join or Die"
Diana Landau | February 11, 2025
This month's episode is a unique one. Carl interviews filmmaker Rebecca Davis about her new, award-winning documentary, "Join or Die." She is a director and producer of short and long-form documentaries and was previously a senior producer with NBC News for nearly a decade. Though Rebecca is not near retirement, her movie sheds light on how the "(un)retired" can create community in a time when the isolation of the internet and cell phones can absorb much of their daily lives. The movie explores how joining clubs and organizations, in addition to engaging in intergenerational exchanges and mentorship can actually serve to strengthen our society. "Join or Die" is now on Netflix. (Spoiler Alert! Carl is a huge fan of the movie and its message.)
Rebecca grew up in a middle-class family in Virginia, near Washington D.C. "My brother and I felt lucky to grow up there, as we were exposed to lots of different perspectives," she says. She was also inspired by her father, an anthropologist with a curious eye on the world and community life. In high school, Rebecca worked on the school newspaper with dreams of becoming a journalist and photographer. She tells us that after college and the advent of the digital age, she found a way into video format from journalism and photography, "as a way to do storytelling and explore the narrative more."
Rebecca began working on "Join or Die" when she was still a full-time media producer, working on the film on weekends. It was her first documentary and took 8 years to complete. She says making the film was a "life raft, emotionally" for her as news production isn't always that positive. She was inspired by the work of political scientist and author Robert Putnam, whose earlier work, "Bowling Alone" went viral. Americans had stopped joining clubs and civic organizations. Even the number of dinner parties and picnics had declined. His research showed that those "joining" activities directly correlated to how our Democracy is doing.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle have been supportive of Rebecca's documentary and understand the implications for a healthy nation. After living in NYC for decades, Rebecca has recently moved back to the Washington D.C. area to be closer to family. She notes, "The irony of the internet is someone might know what is happening in a neighborhood in China, but not what's happening on their very own street. And when someone tells me they watched my film and they are now joining a club, I feel really good about that!"
Rebecca's 2nd (or 3rd) Act Advice:
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"Community happens when you do what you love with others. The bar doesn't have to be high to get going-- start a cycling group, form a movie night, create a cookbook club."
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"Start with a group and then do the hard work of showing up every week. The gains come from doing that."
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"Live the life you want to live in the future right now, and see where that leads you!"
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog
Paul Giobbi: High Tech Entrepreneur Starts "The Exit Club"
Diana Landau | January 14, 2025
The insightful Paul Giobbi joins Carl on the podcast for an engaging discussion on how to transition from being a Founder and CEO to "....someone not defined by my business card." As co-founder of Zumasys, Inc., Paul led his company to become one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the U.S., appearing on the "Inc. 5000" seven times and being ranked #1 on Fortune’s list of Best Places to Work for Giving Back. His company grew to $30 million in revenues and had 100 employees. Over the past few years, he's sold parts of the business, he’s stepped away from day-to-day operations and he’s gone through an enormous personal transformation. Paul is making a difference in his own community and the wider world, and he's been on an amazing journey.
Paul grew up in San Diego, the youngest of four children. His parents divorced and he went to live with his entrepreneur father at age 11. "That decision changed my entire life," he tells us. Instead of school sports, Paul spent his time working for his father's publishing and events business. From a young age, "I knew in my bones I wanted to be an entrepreneur."
After getting married and leaving the family business, Paul relocated to Texas to join Jones Business Systems. In 2000, Paul saw opportunities and launched Zumasys in San Clemente, CA. Besides all the financial success, the company was known as an employer with incredible employee engagement. "We realized if we were really deliberate about investing in our people and culture, it would correlate to our success at work."
Zumasys began divesting of certain divisions of the company, beginning in 2018 and then in 2021 and suddenly Paul had more margin in his schedule. Personally speaking the transition was not so simple. "When you decide to step away from your primary act in life, it challenges your relationships, your identity, your ego." He goes on, "There are a lot of things I thought I would do: serve on boards, angel investing, do more volunteer work, etc. But instead, I'm investing in others and moving toward a different direction without expectation."
He searched for mid-life transition advice to minimize the sudden isolation and lack of purpose. He couldn't find a group of his peers, so he started "The Exit Club" with quarterly in-person meetings, speakers, forward planning, and offsite retreats. Strong bonds were formed, and Paul found new direction. "'Retired" is such a pejorative term in our country......it took a while to learn who I am was not my business card."
Now 55, Paul and his wife split their time between San Clemente and a small town outside of Park City, Utah. After two childhood friends were diagnosed with aggressive forms of melanoma, he founded "Paul Walks", a non-profit that has raised $120,000 for melanoma research while he walked 1,000 miles. Over 200 people donated, participants walked on 5 different continents and Paul reaped benefits as well. "Walking has given me time to write, to listen, to be in nature, to slow down and just kinda be."
Paul's (un)retirement advice:
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"Choose to move through it, (the transition). Just be in it!"
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"Reconnect with old friends--there's such a value in those long-term relationships."
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"Mid-life is about living a life true to yourself and not what other people expect it to be."
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"I have a new card which says IAHTEO. I Am Here To Encourage Others."
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog.
Jordan (Doc G) Grumet Interview: Former Doc Shares How to Live a Regret-Free Life
Diana Landau | December 10, 2024
Want to hear wisdom and insight on finding purpose from a former internal medicine doc who is now a writer, speaker, and podcast host? This week Carl interviews Jordan (Doc G) Grumet has made many significant pivots in his life. After becoming a doctor of internal medicine and practicing for 15 years, Jordan had an "aha" moment where he realized that although his medical career had served him well, he wanted something new, something different, something more meaningful.
Jordan grew up in Evanston, Illinois. His doctor father died suddenly when Jordan was only 7 years old. "I came to this cosmic conclusion that the way to make up for this horrible thing that happened to all of us was for me to become a doctor." Despite learning disabilities, Jordan met obstacles head on and learned to persevere. (Qualities that have helped him throughout his life.) His mother became a CPA and successful in business and remarried. He says both his parents modeled responsible saving.
After 15 years of practicing medicine, he felt totally burnt out. "Medicine served me well financially and gave me a purpose and identity. It worked until it didn't," he tells us. In 2018 he stopped everything and became depressed. The years of building walls around himself to deal with the stress and tragic situations as a doctor took their toll. He realized he had co-opted his father's dream of being a doctor for his own.
Jordan looked at the parts of his life he wanted to keep doing, like hospice care. In addition, he had an "AHA" moment when he attended a conference for writers, bloggers and podcasters. "I immediately felt more connected to them than the doctors I had worked with for years." He read the book "The White Coat Investor" and discovered he could be financially independent enough to pursue other paths that excited him.
Now Jordan is the podcast host of the award-winning "Earn & Invest" podcast, he's a speaker and also the author of two books. His first book, "Taking Stock: A Hospice Doctor's Advice on Financial Independence, Building Wealth, and Living a Regret-Free Life" is about Jordan's journey, intertwining medical insight and financial wisdom and resonates deeply with those seeing a balanced, meaningful life.
His second book, "The Purpose Code" will be published in January 2025 by Harriman House Press. Jordan also continues to serve as an associate medical director at Unity Hospice. He lives with his family back in Evanston, Illinois where he grew up. Doc G says, "You don't have to change the whole world. You just have to change yourself. Grow and learn!" Wise advice for all of us.
Doc G's (un)retirement tips for self-reflection:
• "It's much easier staying at a job rather than exploring your purpose. I think that's a mistake. We need to re-imagine what purpose is for us, take the time and space to learn what it really looks like."
• "Don't be afraid of (finding a new) purpose. Purpose is abundant. It doesn't have to be difficult to find your "anchors" and build a life of purpose around them. Find a lot of stuff you like and just start doing it."
• "Most of the things that light us up have nothing to do with money.......How do we build a better life without waiting for some financial benchmark?"
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog
Steve Hoffman Interview: Food Writer and Author of French Countryside Experience!
Diana Landau | November 12, 2024
Renaissance Man Steve Hoffman explains to Carl how you can truly have it all. Steve has figured out how to divide his year between a successful business and his creative life. He is a tax preparer and also an award-winning food writer that has been featured in Food & Wine, The Washington Post, Artful Living magazine and many more. He is also the author of the memoir that's a real eye-opener if you've ever thought about living in foreign country and bringing your family along with you, "A Season for That, Lost and Found in the Other Southern France".
Steve grew up in the "Twin Cities" of Minnesota in a traditional suburban family. "It was a fairly boring, staid existence," he tells us. As a teen, Steve was obsessed with tennis and basketball and dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. He went on to St. John's University and then a trip to Paris, France changed everything for him.
Steve married and had a family and also ran a successful tax preparation business. He likes to say that he knows the names of all of his 500 customers. But tax work is seasonal, and he realized he could live out his dream of living in France part of the year. In 2012, Steve brought his wife and family along with him, which proved challenging beyond his initial expectations. "You know, you have this image of swimming in the ocean on the coast and then having a glass of Rose'. The blue collar, dusty, hot winemaking village where we could afford to live was not like that."
The culture shock was very real. Carl points out that many people talk about living in another country for a while, but rarely actually do it. In his memoir, Steve tells us how his family needed him to step up and be a leader for them and not just live in a dream, practicing his French in town. The family decided to give up their expectations, stepped back and let the experience and the village opened up to them.
Steve always kept journals, yet never imagined he would one day become a prolific food writer. And then his first article about his French adventure won him a National Food Writing award. Steve's wife, Mary Jo also explored her creative side during their stays and became a photographer. 10 years later, they both came out with a new book at the same time! Steve is also the recipient of the 2019 James Beard M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award. He now lives on Turtle Lake in Shoreview, MN with Mary Jo, their elderly and entitled puggle and roughly 80,000 honeybees.
Steve's (Un)Retirement Advice:
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"Accepting that part of being a creative person in this economy in this time in history means you gotta have a boring, semi-lucrative job that pays you a little more than you need and that buys you more creative freedom in another part of your life."
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"Write a five-year plan. There's incredible magic in writing down what you want to do."
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"Think of your life in decades. Your 3rd act, which is the culmination of all your life decisions that came before, will become richer for it."
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"It's okay to understand this part of life (unretirement) is about editing and taking things away, so you're focused on the core of things that mean the most to you."
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog
Suna Kneisley Interview: "Kitty Hotel" Second Act Success Story
Diana Landau | October 08, 2024
This Month I Used to be Somebody has gone to the CATS! Meet Suna Kneisley, who consistently combines her passions with success throughout her life. A former Marketing Exec in high tech for Intuit and Oracle, she began investing in real estate and helping her colleagues do the same. That has led to a 20+-year successful career in investing, as Founder of Freedom Investments. Along the way, Suna also fell in love with cats. After volunteering for a local non-profit cat adoption organization, Suna eventually became Executive Director in her spare time. In 2019 Suna bought Pat's Boarding Place for Cats, which she has improved on and expanded and they now have kitty condos for up to 78 cats. (Are we seeing a pattern here?)
Suna grew up in the Midwest, first in Indiana and then in Illinois to a U.S. military father and Korean mother. As a kid she was very social, up for any sport. She knew her father hated his career as a CPA. Her mother, who possessed keen business intuition, turned her focus to a very busy local Mr. Donut Shop. She kept after the owner until he sold it to her family. Working at the donut shop growing up, doing all kinds of shifts, instilled a sense of entrepreneurship in Suna.
She attended Northwestern and UC Berkeley and after considering a career in medicine, she was hired by Intuit and never looked back. After personally investing in real estate, she began pooling resources with her fellow employees and began managing various investments. "I don't like doing things alone. I love to share what's exciting and what opportunities there are with friends and family."
She started volunteering for Cats About Town Society (CATS) in 2008 and realized they had organizational problems. Suna took them on with mounting debt and turned CATS around. They now care for and adopt out 400-600 cats per year. When Pat's Boarding Place became available in 2019, Suna pounced on the opportunity. In addition to running her real estate investing firm, volunteering and managing the kitty hotel, Suna loves to travel, just about every month. She also loves to play pickleball. "The path is interesting. It kinda unfolds!"
Suna's (unretirement) tips:
• "Find what it is that gives you joy. Use your skillset. Or do something completely different!"
• "Keep moving! Movement for your body. Pickleball is the great equalizer--most everyone can play."
• "It can also be really helpful to just sit and be still for your mind. Meditate. It will help you find what you want to do."
• "Be open. Be clear about how you want to feel--the kind of person you want to be at your best. What does that look like? What does that smell like? What does that taste like? Be clear about that and then be open to the opportunity, whatever it is. Then follow, say YES to things."
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog
