Blaze Your Own Trail - S2:E23- Insights to Live By with Matt Zinman

Episode Date: August 14, 2020

Matt Zinman is a difference-maker devoted to personally enrich the lives of at least 100 million people by 2025. His new book, “Z-isms: Insights to Live By” is based on his experiences as an entrepreneur, athlete, single parent, caregiver and nonprofit founder. He is also the host of "Insights to Live By," a podcast that invites guests to share their own pearls of wisdom. In addition, Matt is CEO of The Internship Institute, which he established in 2007 to "Make Experience Matter." In this Episode we discuss: Matt's upbringing What sport he played Where he went to school His early career His entrepreneurial journey A little about his book And more! Connect with Matt: Website: https://mattzinman.com/ Instagram: @matthewzinman Twitter: @matthewzinman LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattzinman/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ZismsReaderForum Connect with Jordan: Follow on Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanjmendoza Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanjmendoza/ Join our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/blazeyourowntrailmastermind/ Installing strategic sales systems & processes will stop the constant revenue rollercoaster you might be facing which is attainable through our 6 Week Blazing Business Revenue Coaching ProgramBook a discovery call with Jordan now to learn more! Are you an entrepreneur?Join my FREE Group Coaching Community where we have live calls, Q&A and more! Our Trailblazer Ecosystem also enables you to network with other entrepreneurs and creator hub eliminates multiple subscriptions and logins creating a one stop shop to take action!Use code: FOUNDING100 for 12 months access FREE and Founding pricing for life! (While Supplies Last)Join now! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, everybody. I hope you are doing well. Super pumped for this episode to release with Matthew Zinman. Matthew is an author. He wrote a book called Zisms, Insights to Live By, and actually just released his own podcast called Insights to Live By as well. Can't wait for you guys to hear this, and I will chat with you right after. Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Blaze Your Own Trail podcast. I'm your host, George Mendoza.

And I've got a very special guest today. His name is Matthew Zinman. And I'm going to give him just a second to tell us a little bit more about himself. Great. Well, thank you, Jordan. It's great to be with you. I really appreciate being here. And working backwards, I just published a book called Zeeisms, Insights to Live

by for your international listeners. They might say Zedisms, but still the 26th letter. And then working backwards, I am the founder of a nonprofit called the Internship Institute, which sets up internship and apprenticeship programs for employers. I've been doing that since 2007. And then before that, I worked in the marketing and public relations field. And we can drill down into the other stuff. That's the top line.

Okay, perfect. And so like I like to do on the show is we're going to jump real far back. So, you know, where did you grow up? And how were you as a kid? Were you into sports? were you into more different types of activities? What type of things did you get into when you were a kid? And what part of the country did you grow up in?

Sure. I was a punk. I'm just going to start right there. No, I'm from Philadelphia, and I've been here my whole life in and around the city and went to Temple University, the main university here. Growing up, going all the way back to your question and sports, I'm an ice hockey player. I've been doing it since six, seven years old and spent many of my summers growing up,

training up in Canada. And I played on Team USA, on a travel team in my mid-teens and was captain of Temple. And I still play today. So it's a lot to do with that common thread of friendships I've made and the building of confidence and things like that really do tie back into playing the sport. Okay. And did you have a favorite, you know, thinking back to your childhood days, you know, getting into high school, things like that? And even further, did you have a favorite coach that maybe they said something to you that stuck out or maybe really kind of shifted your perspective a little bit in life? Right. That's a great question. I mean, I'm in my 50s now. Like we're going back like 35 years. There was a guy. his name's Lou, Lou Mola.

And I'm still friends with his brother Vinny, who I played with. And he was just, he was just gritty, you know, passionate. You know, he's just intense. And, you know, the sports a lot like that, too. And I'd say that because I had him as a coach, I'm going back to the Earl, you know, my first years in playing, it really kind of set the tone for me in terms of the culture of. the sport and and just the intensity of it. So that's definitely where I go on that question. Okay, perfect. And what do you think, you know, in your adolescent years playing the sport,

what do you think is the biggest, like one of the biggest lessons that you learned that you still use in life as we know it today? So, you know, one of the things that happened for me in in terms of transition is in growing up in this area, just for context, I'm the youngest of four and I'm five years behind my brother. So I was kind of an only, you know, in the high school, you know, my older brothers and sister were out and we moved. And the high school that I transferred into, first of all, being away from all my friends, right, that all, everybody grew up with and starting fresh, the high school I went into without needing to go into much detail was just upside down. It was just so much turmoil and I just couldn't adjust. And I,

my friends who I played ice hockey with, went to a Catholic school and I'm raised Jewish. And I was actually the first Jewish kid to be enrolled in the Philadelphia Archdiocese into the Catholic school. So that into itself, you know, shaped, you know, some of my experiences. And, And as you might expect, I certainly had some character building when I first, when I first transferred in. But the game and the team there were champions in the year I transferred in. So the sport was big and a lot of crowds and being able, again, to, you know, and where I was with the sport and playing, earn me respect,

my friendships again you know it kind of kind of got me through that time period and really made it a you know that that much better of an experience okay that's awesome definitely some good context there so in high school did you you you played throughout high school so what what would you say was a defining moment for you uh in high school playing hockey, whether it was, you know, you guys were trying to make it to state or trying to play for a championship or just a moment that you can still remember, you can almost still feel the environment that you were in that sticks out to you today. Yeah, where I go with that question immediately is we were playing our arrival high school

called Conestoga. And the rink where we played, the crowd was right up against the glass. It was, you know, really that closest feeling that you had to being a professional player. Obviously, I didn't get close to going pro in that way, but just the experience of the faces against the glass. And as you're skating and, you know, obviously checking game and getting smashed into the boards, just the whole thing was so intense. And the, you know, the spirit of, you know, people cheering. And it was just, it was as close to a professional experience as I would hope to get.

And it was just, it was unique in that way. So that's really what sticks with me for sure. Yeah. And I think, you know, from, I'm not the biggest hockey fan, but whenever I've been to a professional game or whenever I've seen it, I think that the crowd is, is important, right? It feels the players, right? it gets you excited to want to, whether it's, you know, what do they want to see? They want to see a fight. They want to see gloves come off, right? They want to see that action. And, and so when the crowd gets into it, I could absolutely see why that moment would stick out for you, right? Because

it is, it's that experience and having people cheering you on, you know? Yeah, I mean, the adrenaline level alone is that, that hype experience, yeah, there's almost, I mean, there's nothing like it. So easy to point to the intensity of it for sure. And so you had older siblings. Do you think that they attributed to you? And I know they're a little older, but do you think they attributed to your success in hockey, meaning having these older kids that maybe beat you up a little bit

or got on to you? Do you think that helped prepare you for the game? Well, I'd say they probably made a sport of me at times growing up, and that was a little, you know, that was the joke. I was, I was closest with my NM closest, my oldest brother, Mark, and he's nine years. So it was kind of like, you know, your brother, you know, your hero. So there was, you know, modeling yourself after them and, you know,

and playing the game, it's a lifestyle. You're on travel teams. You're, you know, up early in the mornings and things like that. So they were certainly a part of it. And it just meant that much more in that way. And he especially, you know, my sister, Andrea and David, you know, they were, they certainly influenced me in different ways, including ways that inspired me.

But mostly I was bullied, I'd say. Tuffing me up, thick in my skin. Thank you so much for bullying me. That's really where I go. Right. That's what is family for, right, to help you, to bully you, to do all of it. Yeah, keep you humble. That's important.

That's it. So you left, finished high school, you went to college, and ice hockey was still on the agenda. I'm assuming this was what you wanted to do, where you wanted to go. So what was that experience like just to give the audience some context into the game from high school level to college? So for me at that time, right before college, and I mentioned Team USA, and I was probably the last, walk on, you know, on that team. I was, you know, far from the best player at that level. And I wasn't necessarily looking, it was a borderline to be drafted into a D1 or even D2. So I wasn't, I wasn't necessarily choosing the college based on the sport.

My father went to Temple. I had friends who went to Temple. I was looking for the big university experience. And again, it was more of that common thread of the friendships I made. I was captain of the team my junior and senior year, and there was that, you know, that moment, that experience here, that undefeated championship game, you know, thinking back to the point question that you asked when, again, you get that experience of gloves and sticks flying everywhere and jumping all over each other. And, you know, even at that point, I'd say that I was still building my confidence around my friendships and things.

And, you know, the bonding experience that comes with that was also very, you know, pointed and intense, something that you can't really compare to. And it was a real confidence builder in terms of my, you know, my formative years, you know, becoming an adult. Awesome. Very, very cool. And so what was next? What was next for you?

You finish up at Temple. Sure. What did you get your degree in and, you know, were there aspirations after to go to the professional route or did you know you know what i think i want to go and start working and and you know whether that's working for somebody else or for yourself so what were kind of the next steps you took yeah i mean i i knew you know going into college that uh i wasn't going to be able to go pro i mean i'm not big enough for one and uh you know it's almost like hockey so it was almost the default sport for me right not big enough i i you know i'm not fast enough um and uh you know foot foot speed and

things like that don't go my way. So I was glad to have that. But yeah, I mean, I went into journalism and marketing PR and I had internships, which was a big part of getting me into the right place. I worked for Warner Brothers Studios for four years, releasing movies back then, and Philadelphia Phillies did an internship with them for a summer. And then my last one was with the marketing PR agency that ended up hiring me. So it was good to land in my field of study and being on the agency side. So when you go into that field, you're either agency, corporate, government, or nonprofit. Those are your four sectors. And I really just stayed in agency and then came through the ranks through my career, all Philadelphia, again, local

firms. And then I got onto the, I got hired in my early 30s as the director of a local agency. And It was a new department. I was just building it up. And once I got to the management side, I realized how much I didn't like it. That was, you know, again, no substitute for experience. As soon as you, you know, until you get there, oh, this is not for me. And I really enjoy doing the work and the craft, not anyone who's a manager, I think, can relate to what I'm describing. You know, it just takes you away from what you were doing. So that also had something to do with deleting me at that point in my career to go out on on my own in o two and start my own firm. Perfect.

And so, you know, self-awareness is huge, right? You know, being aware of what we like and what we don't like and how we like to work and what things take more energy out of us and give us energy and things like that. So, you know, kudos to you for recognizing that and saying like, you know, this is not why I'm here. This is not what I signed up for because you know and I know there's plenty of people that just suck it up for years, right? And live this life that they don't enjoy, sit in traffic that they aid and do. And how did that process actually start? Was it, you know, you were sitting at home one day and you just said, you know what, enough of this.

I think I can do this on my own. Well, now coming at the questions from the perspective of an entrepreneur, both on the for-profit side when I went there and then also on the nonprofit side. And you're right, how many of us really are at a point in life? You know, we have families to feed and a lifestyle to maintain. And you got to sit in traffic and you got to put up with the things you do at work. And as much as you can to create the opportunities and take control as opposed to, I let my career take me early. early on, you know, like this opportunity and I took it, I took it. I didn't necessarily go out and seek things. And then I think that was really the first time that I really did make that

decision. And I would not honestly recommend to anyone that they go out entrepreneurally unless they either have an anchor financially, which I was able to get a two-year contract with a former client of mine that there was a major acquisition and they needed to fill a gap. So that was my anchor. Or if you're going into an entrepreneurial endeavor that you have the funding lined up. So I think that's the one recommendation I'd make to anyone who's considering going the entrepreneurial route. And then again now with what's happening with COVID and many of us in transition, there could be an opportunity for people in this time period if they're interested in

entrepreneurship to explore that. and use this time to develop that, maybe make that door open for themselves. So I just wanted to kind of leap to, you know, a little bit of the change of what's happening now and the opportunity that comes with it. But going back for me, it also coincided with me getting divorced. And my son, Jake at the time was two, and he's 19 now. And, you know, just imagine, you know, I'm in an apartment or a flat, wherever you may be in the world and call it. and I have a two-year-old, and half the time he's with me,

and I'm at the diaper and bottle point right then. And so I'm remarried now, but that's three years ago. So for that period of years, you do the math, you know, being a single dad and having that intertwine with my entrepreneurial pursuits was necessary, as well as something I wouldn't trade for the world. I mean, the freedom is worth the kicking and the scratching as hard as sometimes you have to do that.

That's it. Yeah. And you know, you've got to love the process and enjoy the process because there's a lot more losses that you're going to take than wins, especially when, you know, when you're first getting started. So, you know, you've got to have a little bit of that tough skin and resiliency and, you know, perseverance. I mean, a lot of those words that I think are much needed for folks like entrepreneurs. But I think you brought up a really good point in the fact that, you know, with every. everything that's currently happening right now, you know, when when the whole thing went down, I was like, man, like, there's a lot of opportunity for people because of things like the traffic that you're now not sitting in, right? If you had a two-hour commute, you just got four extra hours in your day. So how are you using those hours? What are you spending your time on now? Are you using it to build something or are you investing it in to just hanging in just, you know, investing that into how many episodes you can watch of something, right? So I think it's a shift. It's like, okay, like I can invest my time here or or there. So all about perspective, right?

Yeah, you know, perspective. I mean, I'm not sure anyone who could say change comes easy, especially when it's dictated to you by, you know, these kinds of circumstances. And there certainly has to be some adjustment period for anybody going through that. I mean, like I said, I mean, I've been working for myself for quite a while. I mean, what you see behind me, you know, is what's been there, you know, before all of this. And I didn't really have to change much. I mean, I miss certain freedoms. But that aside, the adjustment that comes with, okay, well, this is going to be prolonged. This is not a short-term thing. And we still don't know, right, where this is going to lead to or what it's going to be like when the new normal or abnormal comes into being. So,

Hopefully, everyone who's had to go through all these adjustments has enough, you know, has their footing and has a sense of, well, how do I take these difficulties and challenges and turn them into opportunities? Or, you know, if I fast forward two years from now and I look back, what would I want to say I did or what happened for me and that turning into a positive in terms of an outcome, that doesn't happen by itself. So hopefully people are taking action where they see it. Yeah, and I definitely have been noticing, you know, just through friends and family and business, folks in business and through social media, I mean, a lot of people are. They're taking advantage of this time.

They're teaching themselves a new skill or a new, like learning something, right? I mean, because I think if you double down on investing in you, in yourself, especially in a time like this, when the smoke clears, you're going to have something, right? You're going to have something meaningful that can help propel you into a direct, whether that's entrepreneurship or whether that's, you know, getting promoted at your current place, right?

Because you've built up these new strengths that are now sustainable for the long haul. Yeah, for sure. I mean, you said it, you said it best. I mean, maybe you do get to the point where you've, you've kind of worn out your binge watching. And now you have to figure out the, you know, how to create some structure for yourself and really look at it as an opportunity. You know, what choice do we have? We have a choice, right? That's the point is, you know,

do you sink into the, to the disjointedness of the unknown and not knowing where this is going to go or just not being used to, you know, some people are very much in that pattern of I really want to be in my car. I, you know, that's where my decompression time was or, you know, being with My family is great and it's a riching, but, you know, a little separation might not be a bad thing. So we do have to make some of these adjustments and they continue, but they're completely within our, mostly, I should say, within our control. Absolutely. All right.

So you start your business. You were fortunate to have a pretty good contract in place, right? Which, again, you know, stars align there because that doesn't always happen for, especially for a first contract. So when you got that first contract, how did that really set the tone for the next year or the next two years for your business? And when I ask that, I'm looking from the context of, did that help you build trust in you as a new entrepreneur and show that sense of, okay, this person has this other

client to your future customers and did that help you gain customers right so you know rewinding uh slightly to your question and referencing when i got into management the one thing i can say about that is and as challenging or or it was not as positive of an experience as i would have liked to have been i did really learn more about entrepreneurship i don't really think it was until then that I even had the, you know, I think maybe I want to go do that or see myself in that way. So I think the mindset shift was certainly part of it. And then another challenge, at least at time, was at least in this business, I was ahead of the curve. You know, you'll think of bricks and mortar versus, you know, we don't say that too much anymore. But then it was very much an us versus them.

And after, you know, as that contract certainly anchored me and I was able to, you know, build, you know, others around it. In public relations, which was part of, you know, mainly my core focus, that's a professional services type business, which is to say you're billing by the hour. And it makes it very difficult to get ahead, only so many hours in the day. And then in having that business model that I did, I also had to invest in being able to compete. and one of the things that really changed for me is I was in a big contract and made it to the finals. I mean, we were up against the largest agencies, and we did the best job, but we did not win the contract. And the reason we didn't win it in the aftermath in the debrief was the marketing director said,

I couldn't stick myself out there. I couldn't put my butt on the line. I had to go with a safer choice. even though I thought you guys did the best, right? So that was a real awakening for me that I needed to, I couldn't afford to lose that kind of, that kind of a pursuit. And that really made me think I need to move on in terms of my career. And that led me into the internship space because in parallel to all these things, having had the four internships, I'd always stuck with it. I'd always be going back and talking to the students at the area.

of schools, running internship programs for all of my employers. And then when I went on on my own at the front end of that contract and trying to build that business up, I created a virtual internship program, which I still run today. So I just saw as, well, what am I going to do from here? And how much choice do I have around the fact of what aligns my experience with my skill set my passion with a market opportunity and seeing a need in the internship space, if you will, for apprenticeships, again, are by any other name, a work-based learning. You know, you can call it whatever you want. But working with employers to set those programs up and seeing the need for that,

but it was still very much a frontier. But that was the catalyst that led me in the decision to move on in my entrepreneurial pursuits. That's awesome. And so, you know, getting into the virtual internship space first, right, because there wasn't, you saw a need, right? You saw a gap in this industry and you figured out a way to build a system or a structure to create it. So, and how long ago was that just to give the audience some context? What year was that when you started that? So I started the transition in 2005. And one of the things I did was develop a lot of intellectual property. again, I'm a journalism degree, you know, building out these materials, having them from what I had done before, and creating this kit that I could sell commercially, essentially, the here you go. It was like a staffing management system for employers to, mainly smaller employers that don't have the resources and it removes the barrier for them to create these programs and do it right. And then also developing trainings for supervisors and people who were doing mentoring, that was part of the offering. So it was very specific. I wasn't in people here, oh, internship institute or you do this, we weren't involved in recruiting. We weren't involved in really doing a whole lot with the schools. It was focused on the opportunity development of the internships themselves and raising the bar on the ones that people

weren't quite doing as well as they could and making the return on investment for them, you know, worthwhile for everybody, just the all-around win. But the challenge I came across then was, Again, I found myself in a frontier in terms of the industry. No one was really doing what I was doing. There are just a lot of you would thinks in the space. And that might involve things like career centers. That might involve things like HR departments. We could probably do three shows on this topic alone.

But the reality of it was I was not able to get my intellectual property evaluated. for investment. There was no benchmark for an investor to come in and say, oh, we see this model and this seed money and this projection. It just, there was nothing. So that made it difficult. In the same time, you're talking about an industry that's involving workforce development, economic development, internships as a way to create those opportunities for college students to stay and that brain drain and not leave regions. So there were grants out there. And that kind of led to the opportunity and in the shift, also around the need to go into the nonprofit space, which also had a lot to do with the fact that I was in the academic market.

So when you're trying to deal also, you do have to deal with the schools. You can't ignore them. And so functioning as a for-profit, you know, wasn't a really good positioning. So there were a number of reasons that converged for starting the nonprofit, and that was in 07. And then I started off with, you know, I ran through, probably about a million dollars worth of grants over the course of the next 10 years. But it sounds like a lot, but it certainly didn't all come my way. A lot of it was to pay interns and things.

But again, in a similar way, that first grant anchored the nonprofit to, you know, to get established. That's awesome. Yeah, no, definitely, definitely super helpful. So what was the next step, right? You got all these processes established, you know, working through, trying to jump through these proverbial hoops, right? to get this process and get evaluated in front of people. So what was the next step to get your business kind of to that next level of, you know, visibility, right?

I mean, you had to have been, and I'm just guessing here, but you had to been kind of early in the keyword game, right? Like virtual internship keyword game. So I'm really curious to see because you got in the space early, and you probably did some SEO, did some pay-per-click type stuff from that standpoint. Have you seen that increase now that COVID has happened? And people are, that keyword, the keyword virtual has got to be typed in. I don't know how many times a day right now.

So I'm just curious to see if all the things that you did kind of setting the tone for your business, if now you're able to really capitalize off some of that early stuff. it's almost too early to tell and to your point you know businesses are adjusting and they're not really sure and and by way of extension where do these internship programs or apprenticeship type programs that they were planning on having for example you know in the summer happening or not and in what shape or form and how would they even make that adjustment so I am doing webinars and educational things in conjunction with some of the national associations I have one of in a few weeks. But to your point, there really wasn't a whole lot in the key, you know,

SEO and all the marketing. And for the space that it is, the employers aren't necessarily seeking out, like, who can help me with my internship program? It really is more the opposite in terms of funding. You really have to go to them and you do have to help them see the ROI. You've got to make the business case. So fortunately, with the early grants that we did, we had that. And honestly, Jordan, the grants also define you. So that second grant was a veteran transition grant. So we're a veteran services organization and the pendulum kind of swings to, okay, now we're helping veterans or now we're helping disadvantaged youth. It's not necessarily college students, but creating those opportunities are the same in terms of having to put these programs in place. It's really

the employers who have to define who they're going to give those opportunities to. Fast forwarding now to today and for my purposes on one hand i i really can only do one thing well you know i've been writing the book in conjunction with the non-profit and when covid hit um we had several funding sources just poof um and because internships aren't happening now on the other hand to your point that the the virtual side of it i i think this uh i think it'll it'll still play out i be very curious to see how this thing that was already in place for me to do this training next month plays to see how well the association promotes it and who's drawn to it for that reason. So to your question, I don't really know yet.

But at the same time, you know, the whole thing with the internship space, it's been 15 years, right, since I started this. And it's been just kicking, scratching, and clawing and swimming upstream and pushing boulders and trying not to let them roll back down on you. There's nothing that's been easy about it, even though I have a lot to show for it. So I'm kind of glad to just put it over here. And now with the book out, and being able to have the opportunity to be here with you,

in conjunction with all this, it's just so much, I feel like the current is going with me. And it's a nice shift. I feel like I've earned it. it, right, in terms of all the things that you have to go through to get to where you want to be. And, you know, we'll see what happens with the nonprofit and the internship space. It's certainly a big part of my life's work. And I'm committed to see that mission through. But it's not,

it's not certain into the timing or how that's going to happen at this very time. Yeah, I think that's encouraging for people that, you know, maybe today, you know, whenever they listen to this episode, they're like, well, I learn right there, 15 years and, right, and you're still in the trenches. You're still working. It's still a work in progress. And you've 5x the amount of time that most businesses are around, right? Most businesses don't last past three years. So the fact that you've had it at 15 and you're still growing and learning and going through

that process, but you are enjoying the journey, I think people can learn a lot from that, from that lesson. There's a lot I can say I can point to and enjoy and, you know, what keeps me going and that's part of the question and then, you know, getting into it and everything. But I have to say, you know, from an entrepreneur standpoint, the same way we talked about having an anchor and doing the things that you need to do to step out on your own, it's a whole different thing when you're dealing with the nonprofits. And you have to look at it not for, it's not for the feint of heart, number one, to do it.

And number two, if you do it, you have to be able to put yourself in a position. to be a profitable nonprofit because the grants are not guaranteed. You could win a grant and then have it pulled out from right under you. And then there's a lot of cart and horse that's involved. So if there's anyone listening who has any of the slightest interest in going into the nonprofit world, I'd encourage you to do a lot of homework about it and make sure that you have the pieces in place. There are unicorns out there, meaning people who have, you know, who fund you out of their pocket. I haven't found any personally.

But the fact is, as you're right, there's a lot of kicking and scratching that's going and there's big grants and there's projects here and projects there, and that's what you've got to do. But I can't say that I've achieved what I've set out to do with making the nonprofit self-sustainable yet, right? That's the domino I've got to get to to make the rest fall. But it's not, for me, what keeps me going is it's not about only setting out the programs.

there's a much bigger systemic impact that comes about when what I'm trying to achieve falls into place. It's way too much to explain, but it's like I've come so far, and if not me, then who? And I feel like it's too important to turn back and not see through. And yet now I think it really is the right time to have it on the side burner for the most part. Perfect, perfect. Well, I think that brings us to the book. So if you can, give the audience some context, you know, what is the name of the book? Where can they find it?

And then let's just give kind of your three nuggets that they will take away from the actual book. So the book is called Zeeisms, Insights to Live By. It's something I've been wanting to do for many years. And some of it has to do with a number of things that I feel I've experienced personally, that again, we're just almost too important not to get out there. I feel our responsibility to write the book and got to the point of trying to define my purpose and the book kind of takes you to that why and how to achieve it.

And one of those questions is, well, what would I regret not doing? And the book certainly came right up to the surface. And it's really a combination of four things. You've got self-discovery and mindset and things that talk about a concept their unearned confidence and the fact that, you know, we've all been through everything we've been through in our lives and we're still standing, right? As hard as that's been. And so it's a reminder just to stay in the present, not let wearing anxiety and stress and things take you away from staying grounded and knowing that you can face everything that comes your way and so forth.

And there's a lot that goes into that whole mindset part. And then there's a lot about personal relationships and interactions, not just our relationship with ourselves, but how do we engage those around us. How do we choose those people in our lifestyles? There's another chapter in there about be aware of spiders, which is about manipulative people and how do you navigate those kinds of things. So there's a lot of unique concepts in it. And then we go into mindfulness. So we're talking about, again, I mentioned swimming with the current and making coincidences matter. And there's a chapter on 1111. I don't know if you have anything for just some having some fun with that. But it goes into law of attraction and amplifying gratitude, and then it goes into

an inevitability of that, which is kind of how do you achieve things that are effortful, right? Like a book doesn't write itself, a business doesn't get to its profitable stage without a lot of effort. And the main thing for me was to make it actionable around life enrichment. So there are a lot of tools throughout it. There's a life enrichment action plan. It's a framework for anyone in the personal development, but there's also a lot of things in there that's, that's, that are a la carte. In summary, I'd say that if you're somebody who's into like Malcolm Gladwell or Rhonda Byrne and, you know, that kind of genre, I think that that combination is something that, you know, you'll take to this book. And you mentioned

finding it would be at zizms.com. There's a hyphen. So z or z, depending on your preference, hyphen isms.com. And then, of course, on your international site for Amazon and the reviews. I'm really grateful. I've been as good as can be. And there's the opportunity on both the site and there to take the look inside, read the first part of it. And you'll know if you want to keep reading. That's all I could hope for. And just the last thing I'll say to our earlier conversation before we got on was, I didn't write the book as like a business card. I wrote it to impact as many people as positively as I can. And so, I'm going for it.

I love that. Yeah, no, definitely a good summary. And folks that are listening, make sure you go pick that book up. So, you know, there's going to be a lot of people that listen to this. And, you know, maybe they're interested in the internship space and they're going to get a lot of value. And now that you've given us the summary of your book, I want to be able to provide people other ways to reach you, right? Because, again, the listeners may say, you know what, that guy has some cool info, great stories, how do I connect with them on a more kind of personal level?

So where are the best places to find you, whether that's on social media or if it's your website, email address, just share that with the audience. And I'm going to make sure I put that in the show notes as well so they can directly click and get right to you. Great. Well, there's a couple of things I want to mention, including another resource on the internship side. We've talked quite a bit about that.

So I'll start there for the moment is something really close to, you know, through the experience I've learned, I developed a site called student steps.org. And there's a companion site called vet steps.org. And they're free. And there's free downloads in there. And there's a technique for those who are, it even doesn't have to be for a student or vet. I mean, the technique is the same. But it's based on relying on LinkedIn and informational interviews to springboard into different careers and things. So if people are looking to explore their next opportunity, that could be something they'll find beneficial. And so again, those are something that we did and do as a public service.

For me personally, certainly there's a contact form in the site. There's the aspect of the book, quite honestly, that's open-ended in that there's a reader forum, which is at present starting out as a private Facebook group where people who read the book can come in and no zisms aren't necessarily about me. They're everybody who has, you know, those pearls of wisdom. and insights to live by and things through experience. We all have those things. So there's that dialogue will continue,

and I'll be very active in that forum. So that's the other part of the answer. Perfect. Well, hey, I really appreciate you taking the time out of your schedule to come on the show. This has definitely been insightful and helpful. And thank you so much for being on the Blaze Your Own Trail podcast. It's a pleasure. Thanks to everybody listening.

And thank you so much, Jordan. It's been great to be with you. Awesome. Have a good day. You too. Hey, everybody. Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode with Matt Zinman. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have not subscribed to the show yet, please, please, please subscribe. It would mean a lot to me. Our goal is to impact and reach as many people around the world as we can with this content. Also, if you can, hop over to iTunes. Give us a five-star review if you enjoyed the show. And write us a review. You know, that'll help us rank in Apple as well.

well. And again, the goal is to impact and reach people and add value to their lives. Thank you so much for your support. And I can't wait to chat with you on the next episode.