The Normal 40 Podcast

#69: The Five Dead Ends — A Conversation with Tait Arend on Image, Isolation, and Choosing Something More

At some point, every man has to ask:What’s this life I’ve built actually doing to me?In this episode, Lon sits down with Tait Arend—fundraiser, leadership coach, and Co-host of the Bridging Connections podcast, for one of the most honest conversations we’ve ever had. Together, they unpack what happens when you’ve done everything right, checked all the boxes, built the image… and still feel like something’s missing.This is not a conversation about brokenness.It’s a conversation about awakening.From a childhood accident that changed his face, and his path, to founding a movement that helps men step out of image and into intimacy, Tait opens up about the five emotional dead ends high-performing men face silently:1. Cynicism2. Isolation3. Numbing4. Disorientation, and 5. Powerlessness.They talk about what’s beneath the mask.And what happens when you finally take it off.This episode will challenge you and confront you to name the things you’ve been afraid to admit. And in the process, it might also give you your next move.KEY TAKEAWAYS--The five emotional dead ends men face (and how to break out of them)--Why most men go through life with 'olders' and not 'elders'--How image becomes a prison, even when it looks successful--The moment of truth: when your future stops matching your present--Why your ego might be your greatest asset--How to stop waiting, and start doing something that mattersWhat’s Next?You don’t need to burn it all down to begin again.But you do need to be honest about where you are and where you’re headed.Start by asking yourself which of the Five Dead Ends are you stuck in. Then do the one thing most men never do: say it out loud.Follow the movement on Substack if you haven't already. Lon shares his best work over there.Links & Resources:Follow Lon on Substack: https://normal40.substack.com/ Book a Free Ramble with Lon: normal40.com (Click “Talk to Lon”)Grab Lon’s book—The Trade: AmazonGet the 14 Questions That Changed My Life: normal40.comFollow Lon on LinkedIn: @LonStroschein🔗 Find it all right here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein Connect with Tait here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taitarend/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com/subscribe

#68: The Journey: From ER Doctor to Middle-School Teacher - Keith Pochick's Story (Replay)

Some trades don’t make sense—until they do.This is one of them.Keith Pochick was an ER doctor. Twenty years in. Saving lives. Leading teams. Teaching residents. Everything he was trained to do and everything the world told him he should want.Until it stopped working.This conversation started the way most do: a quiet nudge, a LinkedIn post, and a DM sent without a plan. Forty-eight hours later, Keith and I sat down for the first time. No prep, no script. Just two guys who had made The Trade™ and knew the cost.He didn’t leave medicine on a whim. He left over years.One dissection. One advisory meeting. One tug from his future at a time.Until one day he said yes to something that had been whispering for years.Now, he teaches middle school science.And he’s never felt more useful.This isn’t a story about burnout. It’s a story about awakening—when staying felt heavier than leaving,when the “right thing” wasn’t the thing that felt true anymore,and when Keith finally stopped letting guilt steal his curiosity.You’re going to feel this one.And if you’re wondering whether it’s too late to start over...listen to the guy who did it—with no regrets, and no backup plan. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com/subscribe

#67 The Calling: From Wall Street to Psychiatry. The Cost of Chasing Image - With Dr. Eric Arzubi

What if the life you built—the job, the title, the salary—wasn’t the life you were meant to live?Lon sits down with Dr. Eric Arzubi, a former Wall Street bond trader who walked away from Morgan Stanley to become a psychiatrist and mental health advocate. But the real story isn’t the résumé.It’s what happened in between.Eric shares his remarkable, winding path. From early success to devastating anxiety. From image management to identity collapse. From the Upper East Side to the mountains of Montana, where he now leads one of the most innovative mental health organizations in the country - Frontier Psychiatry. They talk about high-functioning anxiety, burnout, fatherhood, ego, and the choice to live for impact instead of applause.This is an episode for anyone who has ever wondered if they’re allowed to want more and feared what might happen if they said it out loud. WHAT TO EXPECT:Why Eric left a $400K Wall Street job to start over in medicineThe anxiety spiral that nearly broke him and how he clawed his way backWhat panic feels like for elite performers (and why it’s so often hidden)Why mental health care is still out of reach for too manyThe power of marrying ambition with serviceHow Frontier Psychiatry is transforming rural care across the U.S.KEY TAKEAWAYS:You can wear the costume of success and still feel completely lost inside it.The pursuit of “brand” won’t protect you from burnout.Sometimes, you don’t need a new job. You need a new identity.Anxiety doesn’t make you weak. Ignoring it does.You don’t need to fix everything. You just need to advocate for yourself.What feels like unraveling might actually be your reassembly.What’s Next?If you’ve been silently struggling, this is your permission slip. Whether you’re chasing clarity, community, or calling, follow the movement on Substack if you haven't already. Lon shares his best work over here.Links & Resources: Follow Lon on Substack: https://normal40.substack.com/ Book a Free Ramble with Lon: normal40.com (Click “Talk to Lon”)Grab Lon’s book—The Trade: AmazonGet the 14 Questions That Changed My Life: normal40.comFollow Lon on LinkedIn: @LonStroschein🔗 Find it all right here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein Connect with Eric here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drzoobs/ Website: https://frontier.care/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com/subscribe

#66 The Layoff: How Google Exit Sparked Personal Transformation — With Nicholas Whitaker

What if success didn’t satisfy you the way it was supposed to?Lon sits down with Nicholas Whitaker, former Googler, entrepreneur, and founder of the Conscious Lead Collective. Nicholas shares his journey from punk anarchist to Google executive and the unraveling that began in a hotel room in Japan. At the peak of a global career, Nicholas found himself crumbling under the weight of performance, loneliness, and anxiety, living a version of success that felt more like survival. They talk about burnout, reinvention, and the quiet, powerful decision to build community over competition. This is for anyone who feels called to build something more intentional and honest and is brave enough to start.WHAT TO EXPECT:How Nicholas went from punk rock to the boardrooms of Google and why he walked away.The secret cost of “success” and why chasing status eventually leads to burnout.Building the "Conscious Lead Collective" and what it means to lead with awareness.Why collaboration beats competition every time.The power of healing through community, storytelling, and shared purpose.KEY TAKEAWAYS:Reinvention doesn’t start with a résumé. It starts with curiosity.Real leadership is rooted in compassion, not control.You don’t need to “burn it all down,” but you do need to build something that aligns.Your past doesn't define you. If anything, it prepares you.Sometimes the next chapter starts with a layoff and ends with legacy.What’s Next? Whether you’re chasing clarity, community, or calling, this episode is your permission to get started. Follow the movement on Substack if you haven't already. Lon shares his best work over here.Links & Resources:Follow Lon on Substack: https://normal40.substack.com/ Book a Free Ramble with Lon: normal40.com (Click “Talk to Lon”)Grab Lon’s book—The Trade: AmazonGet the 14 Questions That Changed My Life: normal40.comFollow Lon on LinkedIn: @LonStroschein🔗 Find it all right here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein Connect with Nicholas here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholaswhitaker/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com/subscribe

#65: The Diagnosis: What Cancer Taught Steve Garraty About Regret, Resilience, and the Second Resume

Sometimes it takes a crash, literal and emotional, to finally wake up. For Steve Garraty, it was both.Before the diagnosis, there was the drinking. The parties. The wrecked cars. The spiral most people didn’t see coming, not even him. But then came the mass on his neck. A cancer diagnosis at 18. And suddenly, the path he was speeding down came to a screeching halt.In this episode, Lon sits down with Steve for a deeply personal conversation about the years that led to his diagnosis, and the transformation that followed. Steve doesn’t hold back about the chaos, the consequences, or the grace that found him in the darkest places.This episode isn’t about cancer.It’s about change.And about choosing what you do with the life you get after it all falls apart.Key Takeaways:It’s not a question of if adversity comes. It’s when. And how you use it.Most people avoid their past. Steve turned it into a book that might save someone else.True change rarely comes from comfort.Support doesn’t always come from where you expect. Real growth starts when you stop pretending everything’s fine.Gratitude, empathy, and faith are survival tools for the long game.You don’t need a perfect life to have an impact. You need a truthful one.Your “second resume,” the messy, painful stuff you usually hide, might be the most powerful thing you have to offer.What's NextYou don’t need a diagnosis to decide to change. But you do need to decide.Start by reading Steve Garraty's book Greatfruit now available on Amazon, then ask yourself: What’s in your Second Résumé™… and who might it help? Buy Steve's book "Greatfruit" here: https://a.co/d/7GktD9M 🔗 Connect with Lon and SteveLon Stroschein: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroscheinSteve Garraty:LinkedInFacebookInstagramhttps://stevegarraty.com/  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com/subscribe