Register for our workshop now! - https://thethrivewelljourneywebinar.com/

This episode dives deep into the real blueprint behind creative discipline, sustainable success, and long-term growth for artists, actors, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs.

We explore how treating your creative path like a business and your purpose like a mission transforms your entire career. Choice Skinner, a Brooklyn-born actor, director, entrepreneur, and martial artist with over 25 years in the industry, shares powerful insights on focus, longevity, ownership, and representation.

We break down how martial arts–level discipline helps you thrive in competitive spaces, how social media and AI can amplify your creative voice instead of diluting it, and why purpose-driven storytelling matters now more than ever.

This conversation is packed with mindset shifts, real strategies, and actionable wisdom for creators who want to build careers that actually last. If you're an artist, filmmaker, actor, or entrepreneur ready to level up your craft, master your focus, and create with intention, this episode will shift the way you build, lead, and grow.

⏱️Chapters

00:00 – Turning Your Creative Path Into a Business

04:12 – Discipline, Longevity & Purpose

10:28 – Martial Arts Focus for Creative Success

17:40 – How Social Media & AI Amplify Your Voice

24:55 – Introducing Troy Skinner

32:20 – Building Dark Entertainment & A New Life

41:18 – Leadership, Storytelling & Creative Ownership

52:44 – Coaching Purpose-Driven Artists

01:03:10 – The Business of Entertainment

01:11:48 – The Future of Creativity & Representation

01:15:54 – Final Takeaways

Find Choice Skinner on :

📸Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/darkan2000/#

💼 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/choiceskinner/

🔗X - https://x.com/darkanent

▶️ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Darkanent

🌐 Website - https://darkanent.com/

🔗 Get Empowered w/ L. Michael Burt https://stan.store/thethrivewelljourney

Be a guest on The Thrivewell Journey Podcast? Send L. Michael Burt a message on #PodMatch, https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/thethrivewelljourney

#troySkinner #creativeentrepreneur #filmmakingtips #actorlife #mindsetcoach #martialartsfocus #creativebusiness #purposedrivenlife #aiandcreators #contentstrategy2025 #representationmatters #ownershipculture

In today’s powerful conversation, Michael sits down with financial educator Scott to break down the real truths about money—truths most people never learn until it’s too late.

If you think you should “wait until you're older” to get serious about your finances… you’re already losing. Scott reveals the three financial epiphanies that every entrepreneur, creator, and young professional must understand:

💡 How money can double every 10 years

💡 Why your 20s give you a power of 16

💡 How your multiplying power cuts in half every decade

💡 Why funding your purpose—not the grind—is the ultimate goal

This is the conversation that shifts your perspective from survival mode to purpose-powered wealth. If you’ve ever felt confused about money, overwhelmed by financial advice, or stuck living paycheck-to-paycheck, this episode breaks it down simply and clearly.

👉 Question for you: What is one money habit you're ready to change this week so you can thrive with more purpose? Drop it in the comments!

📺 CHAPTERS & TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – Why Money Feels Confusing

00:36 – Introducing Scott Yamamura

04:25 – The Financial Literacy Gap

13:15 – The 3 Financial Epiphanies

20:40 – Why Your 20s Are Your Financial Prime

26:15 – Guidance for 40s & 50s

46:42 – Money + Purpose

54:39 – Your Next Step

Let's make thriving our new normal. See you next week! 🌟

🔗Connect with Scott on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-yamamura

Financial Epiphany By Scott - https://financialepiphany.com/

🔗 Get Empowered w/ L. Michael Burt https://stan.store/thethrivewelljourney

Be a guest on The Thrivewell Journey Podcast? Send L. Michael Burt a message on #PodMatch,

https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/thethrivewelljourney

#moneytips #financialfreedom #personalfinance #wealthbuilding #moneymindset #entrepreneurmindset #purposeoverprofit #financepodcast #selfgrowth #buildwealth

What if everything you thought would make you happy—the corner office, the awards, the successful marriage—suddenly disappeared? Award-winning CEO Ray Martin faced this exact crisis at 44, losing his business partner (who was also his wife), his father, and his entire identity in one devastating wave. What started as a 6-month sabbatical turned into a 14-year adventure across Thailand, Australia, the Himalayas, and beyond—completely reshaping his understanding of success, happiness, and what it means to live authentically.

In this powerful conversation, Ray shares:

✅ The #1 Regret of the Dying (and how it changed everything for him)

✅ The Meditation Retreat Breakthrough that helped him separate his thoughts from his identity

✅ The 6 Rules for Sustainable Happiness (backed by years of travel and self-discovery)

✅ The Four Ties Framework that secretly controls your major life decisions

✅ Why Building a Solid Foundation beats chasing money every single time

✅ The unexpected acting role that gave him the insight to leave his old life behind

✅ Radical Responsibility vs. Blame in business and relationships

✅ How to create intentional relationships that fuel rather than drain you

✅ The Above the Line/Below the Line principle for conscious leadership

✅ Why your autopilot is destroying your happiness (and how to turn it off) Ray's story isn't just about leaving corporate life—it's about the courage to question the "off-the-shelf" version of happiness we're all sold, and the wisdom to build something that actually works for YOUR soul. Perfect for: Entrepreneurs feeling trapped in success, leaders seeking authentic leadership styles, anyone contemplating a major life change, professionals dealing with burnout, and travelers seeking deeper meaning. About Ray Martin: Former Telegraph Business Leader of the Year, author of "Life Without a Tie," leadership coach specializing in human-centered leadership, and world traveler who spent 14 years exploring what happiness really means.

📺 CHAPTERS & TIMESTAMPS

00:00:00 Intro: What Is Happiness?

00:04:10 Ray's Crisis: Losing Everything at 44

00:07:24 Top 5 Regrets of the Dying

00:11:03 The 6 Month Sabbatical That Became 14 Years

00:13:14 The Suited Monk: Inner vs Outer Life

00:16:13 The Four Ties Framework

00:19:01 Finding Community in Chiang Mai

00:22:02 Discovering Writing Through Travel

00:24:02 10 Day Monastery Meditation Breakthrough

00:26:09 The Autopilot Problem

00:28:23 Rule #1: Build Solid Foundation

00:31:15 Rule #2: Radical Responsibility

00:33:02 Above vs Below the Line Leadership

00:35:08 Rule #4: Purposeful Relationships

00:39:05 Rule #5: Pay Attention to Health

00:40:11 Why Hustle Culture Destroys Wellbeing

00:42:23 Rule #6: Empower Others

00:43:45 The Four Ties Explained

00:46:16 Has Ray Mastered Happiness?

00:48:01 The Unexpected Acting Lesson

00:52:49 You're Not The Character You Play

00:55:03 The One Rule to Remember

00:57:23 Connect With Ray

00:58:00 Final Wisdom

💬 What's one choice YOU made that brought you closer to thriving? Share in the comments below! 👍 Like this episode? Subscribe and hit the bell for weekly conversations that help you thrive, not just survive. Let's make thriving our new normal. See you next week! 🌟