OS 12: Derek Loudermilk - The Art of Adventure

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You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.

~ Steve Jobs

Derek Loudermilk’s path in life has been anything but straight, but it has most certainly led him somewhere wonderful.

His first career was microbiology. His next? Cycling coach.

And now?

Online business coach and archivist of adventure.

So often, we hold ourselves back given we can’t see from “here” to “there”, but Derek has turned this into his most powerful asset. He’s willing to change directions, give it all up for something else and go for it.

He has learned, experientially, that the next stone across the river always pops up just when you need it, so why worry?

Having traveled throughout his childhood, a career spent as a scientist in a cold lab wasn’t appealing. But, when he realized that starting and launching his own podcast could reach anyone with wifi access, he got excited. Some 160+ episodes later, the Art of Adventure Podcast has netted more reviews than episodes, and Derek is just getting started.

Past this, his mission seeks to expand into broader access to water and other essential resources for everyone. Quite simply, Derek seeks to enable others to more powerfully seek their own mission freeing them to live their unique “adventure”.

Specifically, he currently coaches people on how to launch their own online business, setting up systems which (mostly) run themselves, freeing people from the need to swap time for money (i.e., a “day job”).

In this interview with Derek, we discuss:

His definition of “adventure” and why every person’s expression is unique and different;
Early family travel and his quest to see all 50 states;
His career as a scientist, and how it left him longing for more impact and exploration (plus, why he was drawn to this line of work in the first place);
The health scare that powerfully oriented him away from the mainstream;
How and why he started his podcast, and the truth about how “work” really feels when it’s amazingly fun;
How Bali changed him forever and the world record he set while living there;
His passion today and why now is an amazing time to start an online business.

And tons more. Derek is a thoughtful, humble guy who also has an unquenchable thirst for challenging the status quo. We hope you’ll be inspired to do the same.

Enjoy!