We recently connected with Brian McAleer and have shared our conversation below.
Brian, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?
We manage our own… although, we’re one day hoping to have someone to help us manage this and other aspects of our day to day business, we believe social media is the quickest way for new people to find / interact with us, thus requiring our genuine involvement, voice and tone.
Brian, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Our goal… making YOUR impossible, possible.
Although, Gent Life has taken some lefts & rights in its early inception… it’s always been about self-improvement. I was a scared kid searching for a sense of belonging and significance growing up just outside of New York City. Never the best grades, garb or grit. Nor did I have solid control of my emotions and mind. Sound familiar? Being picked on physically, verbally with occasional family tension through early adolescence seems like a prerequisite to real life, right?
Yet somehow, I earned a degree from Cornell University, competed as a world-wide hockey player and climbed the corporate ladder at one of entertainments biggest brands, iHeartRadio. The experiences (or should I say experiments) I’ve had along the way have transcended the value of any Ivy League degree one could achieve.
How to fit in and more importantly, how to stand out, became clear with time, observation and strong advice from an evolving network of personal & career relationships. Learning about the sacrifice of past generations, the cultural movement of baby boomer parents (and the music they branded on my brain) was followed by teamwork with elite athletes competing on the world stage. Then, moving to 6 different cities in pursuit of corporate excellence while finding love and marriage with Yadia has equipped me with skills I never imagined, keeping me balanced. What skills? We’ve broken them up into 4 pillars.
#GentsGive – Find fulfillment from community contribution!
#GentsGo – Culture yourself by seeing the world, knowing what to order and where!
#GentsGuide – One-on-one coaching to eliminate limiting beliefs & illuminate the possibilities.
#GentsGarb – Look your best, feel your best, be your best!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
LESSON TO UNLEARN: Money is scarce and directly tied to the hours we suffer each day.
My grandparents lived through the Great Depression and World War 2 creating generational impressions on my parents that money is scarce. For my early life; it not only felt like price drove a majority of decision making in my family, but that hard work & suffering was how we earned resources. This mindset created fear around the subject of finances for me…
I was afraid to invest in things like 401K’s, but more importantly afraid to invest in myself.
Gent Life’s purpose is turn that pattern around not only for myself, but anyone with aspirations to do likewise.
Have you ever had to pivot?
With the belief that money is scarce, we also believe we must hold onto our jobs for dear life… even when they don’t make us happy. I worked (and still do) in corporate America for decades with little to understanding of the big picture for a long time with much resentment and anxiety. I used to believe that was the corporation’s fault. (lack of support, pay etc). However, today I recognize that was my fear to make bold moves… the resentment was within for myself.
I began moving to other cities within the company. Eventually, when I realized what my true gifts were I proposed a new position within my company… one I felt we needed. My timing and mindset (thanks to coaching and therapy) were on par as I created an executive consultant position within my company that I continue to do today while running my own business with my wife.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.GentLife.Com
- Instagram: @Gent.Life
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GentLife
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/76978023/admin/
- Twitter: @GentLifeTweets
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5kUpVcip99zxljf7t02r6A
Image Credits
Diana Davenport Parsons Marc Gerard Kyle Ryan Antoine Hart