Matthew Zachary wants to inspire you to choose to live life on your terms.
He’s the founder of OffScrip Media, a media production company that produces edgy podcasts around uncomfortable healthcare conversations like Am I Dying and Brave New Weed. He’s the host of the Out of Patients Podcast, focused on patient advocacy.
At the age of 21 he was diagnosed with brain cancer forcing him to give up his dream of becoming a concert pianist, but it was also cancer that would eventually lead him toward the path to entrepreneurship.
Lot of great lessons in our conversation including:
- How he centered himself through the chaos of surviving brain cancer.
- How Matthew’s Plan B became his Plan A.
- Why it’s important to mourn the loss of your previous identity to give life to your new one.
- How a fellow brain cancer survivor inspired him to work for himself.
- Advice on how to live life on your terms.
Life Skills That Matter In This Episode
- Habit alignment.
- Tell your story.
- Build community.
How Matthew Works and Thinks
- Wake up time: 7:00 am
- Core work activities + habits: 1) Build the right team. 2) Build a diverse portfolio of sustainable income. 3) Be as authentic as possible and involve as many people as possible.
- Ideal work environment: Being strategically, physically alone sometimes, and sometimes getting energy from the right team in the right doses.
- Superpower: Deconstruct complex crap into digestible chunklets for the layperson.
- Regains focus by: Listening to the music of Michael Gettel.
- 90-day goal: Launch a podcast for the National Organization for Rare Disorders.
Inspirational Quotes
“Everything that happens to you, happens to you and you have a choice on what things happen to you. And that choice is step into it or pretend it’s not there.”
“The fear of dying became less obvious the more I was properly distracted with consistency.”
“Grieving loss and reclaiming was vindicating.”
“If you’re going after profits and you’re ignoring purpose then you’re not a spirit to the planet.”
Coaching Advice
Going through a crisis right now? Matthew shared this encouragement for facing it, instead of avoiding it:
1) It’s OK for it to be terrible sometimes, there’s not always something to help make it better.
2) Honor your inner child and remember that if things aren’t sometimes bad, you never know when things are good.
Resources + Bonus Materials
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