I Used to be Somebody

Anne Del Core has the spark! Her enthusiasm for change and reinvention post-career is captivating. Anne had a cool career in television. She started on the talent side of TV buy quickly realized the biz side was more lucrative. (Her first transition.) She ended up falling in love with that whole side of TV. Her last position was as the General Sales Manager at WKRT-TV in Norfolk, VA as part of a larger network owned by the New York Times. Then she made another transition to put her big career on hold to raise three children. The family moved around the US a lot for her husband's job as a radio executive. And now she pivoted again (and surprised herself) by becoming an artist. Just four years ago, she was introduced to the world of glass art. She absolutely loves it and specializes in creating beautiful mosaics. This is isn't a hobby. She now has a thriving business of selling awarding-winning art pieces, opening her own solo show and donating art to raise money for nonprofits. What makes the interview truly special is that Carl and Anne met for the interview live, at the Landau Tiki Bar. It's a super fun, free- spirited conversation that will inspire anyone who is interested in how to take a leap of faith and try something completely new and different. And then just totally going for it! More about Anne C. Del Core: https://www.storyglassmosaics.com/artist More about Anne's business Storyglass Mosaics: https://www.storyglassmosaics.com Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/anne-del-core-interview-tv-exec-turns-professional-artist Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die Video Series: https://howtoretireandnotdie.com Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide Subscribe to the the I Used to be Somebody Newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

Carl finally got a chance to interview one of the leaders of the modern day pickleball industry -- David Johnson. What a wild ride! He takes us from the early days of computer programming, website design to even the first online funeral business site. But it's the launch of Pickleball Central in 2006 that gets everyone's attention. David and his wife Anna started by literally talking to one new pickleball player / customer at a time from their kitchen table. They ultimately built the largest pickleball company in the world with revenues of $40 million dollars a year. It's a super fun journey through the evolution of pickleball to the sale of his company that grew along with the sport's wild popularity. Now David's second act is giving back to the industry with his International Association of Pickleball Facilities (IAPF). You don't need to be a pickleball enthusiast to enjoy the episode. David gives great advice for someone that wants to take their career experience and build it into a meaningful second act. • More about David Johnson: https://www.pickleballconsultinggroup.com/about • More about Association of Pickleball Facilities (IAPF): https://pickleballfacilities.org • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/david-johnson-interview-the-king-of-pickleball-industry-begins-his-second-act • Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die • "I Used to be Somebody World Tour" -- SOLD OUT! https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour • Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

Carl visited one of his favorite cities in the world -- New Orleans and had the privilege to interview the amazing Nick Mueller, co-founder of the World War II Museum. You do not need to be a history buff to love this episode. Nick was contemplating his first (un)retirement in 1990, when he and Stephen Ambrose (best-selling author and celebrity historian) met over a bottle of sherry and discussed the idea of starting a World War II Museum on a historic site right there in New Orleans. The original idea was to raise one million dollars and have a modest warehouse museum by the water. Thirty-four years later, they have raised $400 million and now operate one of the world's best museums, right in the middle of New Orleans. Nick was the founding CEO of the museum (after his first career) and just retired again last year at age 84. He's a remarkable person and the museum is an incredibly moving experience. Along the way he's made friends and has garnered significant contributions from celebrities Tom Hanks, Tom Brokaw and Steven Spielberg. Please make sure to listen to the last 6 minutes of the interview. As Nick talks about the lessons learned from WWII, Carl asks him where he thinks our country is headed now. His thoughtful insights are so inspirational and he gives us some needed hope for the future. • More about Nick Mueller: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/about-us/our-team/museum-founders/gordon-h-nick-mueller • Nick's new book Preserving the Legacy: Creating the National WWII Museum: https://lsupress.org/9780807184493/preserving-the-legacy • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Nick-Mueller-Interview-Mr-World-War-II-Museum-Co-Founder-and-Former-CEO • Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die • Join the "I Used to be Somebody World Tour": https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour • Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

What a great way to kick off the baseball season with a super fun episode about a guy who's whole career was inside the world of sports. Gary Saunders had an exciting career in management and marketing/sales working the minor league baseball circuit. He traveled around the country working for about a dozen different organizations and capped it all with a big time sports exec job at University of Mississippi. You don't need to a sports fan to love this episode. Gary retired to Florida with his wife Eileen. He started what he thought would be a dream retirement and just become a beach bum. Gary who always was a busy guy, soon found himself bored out of his mind and has put together a combination of part-time jobs that as he says, "puts a smile on his face everyday." He went back to his roots and got his dream job being the music/sound guy for the Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training team and during the summer works for their minor league affiliate. He's a popular radio DJ with the very cool handle of "HoDad" on the Longboat Luau show. What's a "HoDad"? You'll need to listen to the episode. And get this -- he's also a resident butler at the fancy St. Regis hotel. Plus, a whole lot more. Most importantly he's build a really cool community of friends through each of his part-time jobs. This episode is 100% fun and inspiration! You'll dig it all... • More about Gary Saunders: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-saunders-4391635/ • Feature about Gary Saunders: https://www.yourobserver.com/news/2023/feb/22/longboat-luau-is-a-labor-of-love-on-wslr/ • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Gary-Saunders-Interview-Sports-Exec-becomes-HoDad-Radio-Personality-and-Minor-League-Baseball-Sound-Machine • Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide/ • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die/ • Join the "I Used to be Somebody World Tour": https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/ • Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

How can you not be drawn in by that title? What the heck? "Join or Die" is a hit documentary playing on Netflix right now. Carl watched the movie and was such a fan of the movie and it's message. It brought back to him some wonderful memories when he was part of a club that he loved -- the Odd Fellows. He was very fortunate and was able to connect with the movie's co-creator, Rebecca Davis. Rebecca 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 correlated to how Democracy is doing. Rebecca's personal story is an interesting one. She has had a successful career working as a producer with NBC News. "Join or Die" was a passion project for Rebecca. She worked on this film with her brother and co-creator Pete Davis for eight years, working on the movie on weekends and whenever she had time between her busy NBC duties. Initially they were thinking it would be a short Youtube piece, but it grew into what is now an award-winning full-length documentary that is inspiring thousands of people to get off their phones and couches and join or start clubs. You will be totally inspired by this interview and by watching the film. • More about Rebecca Davis: https://www.rebeccadavisvideo.com/ • More about Join or Die: https://www.joinordiefilm.com/ • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Rebecca-Davis-Interview-Co-Creator-of-Join-or-Die • Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide/ • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die/ • Join the "I Used to be Somebody World Tour": https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/ • Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

It took Carl 89 episodes but he finally found a former doctor who has created an amazing second act. Not just any doctor, "Doc G" has a super popular podcast (Earn & Invest) and is a best-selling author. His story is a dramatic one. After 15 years of being an internal medicine doc he found himself totally burnt out and had some sort of breakdown. He found his passion and voice in becoming a podcast star, talking about investing and giving people life advice on how to find true happiness and purpose. He shares some of the best (un)retirement advice we've ever learned on the show gleaned from his new book "The Purpose Code". Great episode to end 2024! • More about Jordan (Doc G) Grumet: https://jordangrumet.com/ • Doc G's Book The Purpose Code: https://jordangrumet.com/#bookrelease • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Jordan-Doc-G-Grumet-Interview-Hospice-Doc-Shares-How-to-Live-a-Regret-Free-Life • Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide/ • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die/ • I Used to be Somebody World Tour: https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/ • Subscribe to the I Used to be Somebody newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

We've gone CAT crazy this month on the podcast. They say cats have 9 lives. Our guest Suna Kneisley is probably on life #5. Her story starts in Korea where she was born. She was raised in a small town in the Midwest where she was the only Asian kid in town. At 12 years old, she helped run her family's 24-hour donut shop. In her 20's, Suna lands in Silicon Valley as a marketing exec at Intuit and Oracle. Eventually, she launched her own real estate investment company. And this is when things get even more interesting. She sees an opportunity and pounces on the Cat business, running a non-profit and buying a successful boutique Cat Hotel as a third, maybe 4th act. It's a super fun story full of lots of twist and turns. Suna is full of optimism and has some great (un)retirement advice for you! • More about Suna Kneisley: https://patsplaceforcats.com/about/meet-the-owners • Pat's Boarding House for Cats: https://patsplaceforcats.com • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Suna-Kneisley-Interview-Kitty-Hotel-Second-Act-Success-Story • Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die • I Used to be Somebody World Tour: https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/all-tours • Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

THREE for the price of one! What a deal. Yes, we're shaking things up in this episode with a little different format. Instead of just one guest who's had a really interesting second act, we're talking to 3 great minds in the (un)retirement world. With a little twist is that they are from three different age perspectives. Meet Paul Long a former TV newscaster, weatherman, film content creator who just created a movement "New Way Forward" (1:58). Gary Sirak is an author, speaker and financial advisor best known for writing How to Retire and Not Die (30.12) And Dr. Ron Kaiser a psychologist, coach, keynote and TEDx speaker, podcast host and author of REJUVENAGING. (51:04) • More about Paul Long: https://www.newwayfwd.com/story/ • More about Gary Sirak: https://garysirak.com/about-gary/ • More about Dr. Ron Kaiser: https://thementalhealthgym.com/meet-dr-ron-kaiser/ • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Meet-the-Unretirement-Experts-Interview-Paul-Long-Gary-Sirak-and-Dr-Ron-Kaiser • I Used to be Somebody World Tour: https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/ • Subscribe to the I Used to be Somebody Newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe