EP. 82 Change is great, change is exciting, change is scary, but what happens on the side of scary is amazingness.

This episode’s guest is Allen Brouwer. He’s the co-founder of BestSelf.co, a Forbes 30 Under 30 winner, and the only person to have won Shopify’s Build a Business and Build a BIGGER Business consecutively.

He’s a man whose entirely self-made and has redefined for himself and thousands of others what it means to be successful with tools such as the SELF Journal. In short, he’s an all-round badass!

This isn’t his first time on the show. In fact, Allen was one of my very first Stay Grounded guests way back in 2017, but I wanted to bring him on again because so much has changed in his life. Allen recently became a dad for the first time – one of my first friends to become a parent. So I wanted to get him back to chat about how parenthood has changed him and how he’s learnt to juggle business with being present for his daughter.

This episode is a powerful reminder of the importance of creating harmony in your life. Many people struggle to divide themselves up between different relationships and responsibilities that demand their time, but Allen has cracked the code. In this episode, you’ll find out how.

“

I am so grateful that I am an entrepreneur because now I can provide the best life for my family and also experience my family at the same time.

Click to tweet Click to share

In this episode, Allen shares how he’s been able to create work-life harmony now that he’s a dad. So tune in and discover:

• The four cycles of entrepreneurship.
• How Allen managed his fear of losing it all.
• The question to ask yourself to check you’re still on your path.
• Allen’s 4-step reflection process that helps him set his goals.
• Exactly how Allen structures monthly 121 calls with his team to cultivate relationships.
• What made Allen discover a ‘mansion of love’.
• Why work-life balance is complete BS [and what you should strive for instead.]
• Allen’s go-to question for avoiding boring small talk.
• The story technique for understanding your impact on others.
• The 3-part framework for adding value in relationships.
• Allen’s three journaling strategies that will help you do more with less time.

And much, MUCH more.

You can’t achieve true success in business if you’re not successful in life. Without work-life harmony, you’ll always be missing something. In this episode, Allen explains some strategies that will help you have it all. So tune in now and discover how you can compromise less and live more. It’s the extraordinary path through life.

“

The first thing that you should ask yourself if you’re not sure you’re on the right path or not is, "Am I enjoying this and how many days have I woken up and not wanted to show up?

Click to tweet Click to share

Time Stamped Show Notes

[4:28] Allen is a new dad and one of the few people in my life who I knew before he got married. I kick off the conversation asking how his entrepreneurial mindset has changed throughout the various stages of his life? He says entrepreneurship is very fluid and there are various phases that will show up throughout the journey, ranging from instability to transition to stability to chaos to the unknown to growth, etc. Since starting his business, he’s experienced each of those phases and now finds himself coming back to the beginning; starting over again in a new area of life. He says as you grow as an entrepreneur, you’ll want to grow in other areas of your life: love, marriage, home, and family, etc. Being an entrepreneur allows him the ability to provide the best life for his family, while having the opportunity to truly experience them.

[11:01] With having a new family, I ask how Allen’s viewpoints on business have changed? Does he have a different purpose in business? What’s his process of knowing that he’s on the right path? He says the first indicator to knowing, whether or not, you’re on the right path is asking yourself “am I enjoying this? How many days have I woken up and not wanted to go to work?” He says if that’s happening frequently, it’s time to do a gut check and see what’s going on. In terms of business, he says he no longer has time to BS – he wants to spend time with his family. As a result, he focuses is on the things that will really pull the lever, grow the business and maximize his time.

[28:14] I talk to Allen about the importance of having authentic relationships. Not only do they bring joy, comfort, and happiness, they also create opportunities for us to better ourselves. During those real and honest interactions, we have the space to dive deep, ask questions and essentially learn more about ourselves. In those authentic moments we become better at being human.

[33:50] I ask Allen if he has any tips for anyone who’s on the cusp of change or who may be fearfully anticipating what change may mean for them? He says change is great, exciting and scary but on the other side of the scary, is amazingness. He’s all about embracing change but not purely for the sake of change. When it’s necessary for growth, expansion and improvement – bring it on.

[50:40] When Allen was first on the show, I asked him how he stays grounded. We close this episode with my asking him, how his definition of staying grounded has changed and what it means to him? Allen says it means being humble. I also ask how his daughter helps him stay grounded – he says she’s like a magician. His wheels are always turning, either thinking about the future or trying to learn from the past. When he’s with his daughter, it’s as if someone turns off the switch to those thoughts and he’s 100% present.

Allen Brouwer