It was the start of a fresh summer as the espresso dripped slowly into Ryan’s coffee cup. A recent graduate with honors to boot, he had all the skills to make money but little clue how to take his ideas to make money and be the change he wanted to see in the world.

School does wonders to provide you with the skills to get a job, but what about helping you find your passion and see where it fits into what the world needs? How about finding your unique genius and purpose in life?

Maybe you’re just out of college or thirty years old in the rush-hour checkout line at the grocery store buying dinner because all you have at home is a can of tuna fish. Either or, don’t spend the next ten years working for something that doesn’t feed your soul.

Step 1: Identify your unique purpose

Step 2: Take action w/ your unique genius

Step 3: Use your work as a force for good

The Longer Version (and a bit about me)

I’m a normal guy who loves coffee, yoga, and the ocean. And my work has always been in helping people discover their unique genius. In the summer of 2013, a former student met me out for coffee.  After a bit of catching up, he leaned in and confessed something. Fresh out of college, he needed my help.

I just graduated and want to make sure that I take the right next steps to follow my purpose and have tremendous impact on the planet. What tips do you have? I feel a little lost. College didn’t really prepare me for this.

To help answer his question and pick up where traditional schooling leaves many students floundering, I started up The Traveling Cup. It turned into the podcast that interviews game-changers who are here to help change-makers build a for-purpose lifestyle and have greater impact in their work.

What started as one cup of coffee w/ a former student turned into coffee chats with some of the greatest minds of our time: Seth Godin, Chris Guillebeau, Pat Flynn, Scott Harrison, Tim McDonald, Pamela Slim,  Dorie Clark and Chris Brogan among many others.

I see a world where we have the tools to create transformative and meaningful work that can build a better tomorrow, regardless of how much wealth you grew up with or what school you graduated from.

Where do I come from?

I’ve been a teacher for almost a decade, teaching students how to use writing to explore their passion and their unique place in the world.

Because I had my students for the last year of their education, I designed the year to focus on helping my students find their “why” — their unique purpose in the world. I’ve seen many students go through traditional education, including higher education, only learning how to make money or complete a spreadsheet. That may work for some people, but for others it certainly does not. And if that’s you, you’ve come to the right place.