24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week. Junior investment bankers regularly work 80-90 hours a week. Many other high profile professions require the same level of commitment. Often those on the outside claim that working 80-90 hours a week is bad/wrong/terrible/silly/etc but we’ve spoken with so many folks who say working that much has been the best decision of their life – it allowed them to develop a deep and strong skill set far faster than would have been possible otherwise. In other words, by working 2x the hours, they were able to generate 5x or more the rewards. And depending on where you are in your career, investing heavily in your skills and competence can pay dividends for a long time.

Brandy Ange

Mmmm work life balance, that’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? I didn’t really used to put much stock in it, and I’ll be the first to admit that I struggle with workaholism. I think I learned the necessity of balance, and namely rest, the hard way. I actually ended up making myself so sick, and ignoring my body for so long, that I ended up in the hospital. That should have been my wakeup call, but stubborn as I am and life necessitating all it does, I continued to push through and keep going until I finally just couldn’t anymore. Read more>>

Jess Stambaugh | Artist & Framer

I love this question! I’m an artist, and although I have always been somewhat entrepreneurial in that way, I didn’t become an small business owner stemming from a dream like of many of my colleges. It was a snap decision I made with my husband in a parking lot. We had wandered into a local frame shop because I needed some of my artwork framed to send up north to a gallery some friends in MA had opened. We talked to the owner, and although she couldn’t frame my work in the time frame I needed it done, she offered to sell her business to us because she wanted to retire. We walked back to the car, and sat in the parking lot stunned, discussing whether or not we thought we could actually pull it off. Spoiler alert, we did! Read more>>

John Blakley | Founder & President of JSpeaks

Starting out and in the beginning stages of JSpeaks I studied some of our great talk show hosts such as Oprah Winfrey, Trevor Noah, Larry King etc. Something I noticed about all of them is that they tended to invite onto their show, and deemed “worthy”, people who were glamorized in society – Hollywood stars, famous sports players, high net worth individuals, anyone who went viral for any particular reason etc. I am not discounting these individuals and I am sure people like Denzel Washington didn’t come out of his mothers womb with the aptitude for acting that he has now but I truly believe that there are great, hardworking, passionate, caring people everywhere who get overlooked because they do not have a million dollars in their bank accounts or a million followers on social media. However, these individuals are working tirelessly and making an impact within their respective communities. I sincerely believe that these people deserve to be recognized, congratulated and spotlighted so that they can motivate others to do the same and not quit. My platform is giving voice to the 99%. With this reasoning being the bedrock as to why I started my channel, it is my mission to connect, educate and empower the world one spotlight at a time and it is my vision to leave a lasting impact on the world that challenges people to think, consider and better themselves. Read more>>

Louis Gozan | Real Estate Agent

I’ll never know the outcome unless I take the leap and try. I started this journey fully aware that the first few years would be challenging. As long as I can endure and persevere, I am committed to pushing forward. Read more>>