Unplugged Sunday | Hello Tech Pros

Balancing a job in a startup, running a news aggregator site, hosting a podcast and maintaining a long-distance relationship? Keith Chima explains how he does it all. Keith Chima is a software developer at a healthcare startup, and founder of Newsbrute.com, a web app that discovers and previews the most popular video game articles of the day and sorts them in order of relative popularity. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/keith-chima-unplugged/ Sponsors Burdene reminder bot

Even though James Wilson is an introvert and recharges when alone, this poet is more comfortable speaking to 1000's of people on a stage than to small table of 5 individuals. James Wilson has been working in the medical software and billing industry for 10 years and currently manages a team that handles the data and electronic claims transmissions for one of the leading prosthetics and orthotics providers in the country. James was a past guest on Hello Tech Pros, episode 12 (We Think You're Crap: How NOT to Communicate). In that episode, James shared an experience at a past job when his coworkers and manager provided bad feedback using horrible communication techniques. Then we talked about how to deal with a situation gone bad. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/james-wilson-unplugged/ Sponsors Burdene - SMS-based notes and reminders. HelloTechBook.com - Get a free audio book from Audible

Jared Porcenaluk wants to change the way society thinks about work. Jared Porcenaluk is a developer and tech enthusiast with five years of experience, mainly in the Microsoft .NET stack. He lives in Orlando, works at Nebbia Technology, and also co-organizes the Internet of Things Orlando meetup group. Jared was a guest on HTP-46 "Programming is like the most epic video game over", talking about how Jared got into software development, the struggles he's faced along the way and the vision he has for his community. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/jared-porcenaluk-unplugged/ Key Takeaways Take advantage of all the recreational things your locale has to offer. Sometimes it seems that you have time and don't have money and when you have money you don't have time. It's possible to work so hard that you don't want to do anything to unwind. Each generation has it's own struggles. Millennial get a bad rap for not working hard and realizing that life is tough. The more fun we find ourselves having, doing the wo

This is a special episode to honor the victims of the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. If you want to help, please make a donation to OneOrlando Fund. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/orlando-united-unplugged/ Key Takeaways On Sunday, June 12, 2016, a domestic terrorist killed 49 people and injured over 50 more at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. On Wednesday, April 19, 1995, a domestic terrorist killed 168 people and injured over 600 more by detonating a bomb near the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 19 children were included in the fatalities. On Monday, May 3, 1999, an F5 tornado with winds at 301 miles per hour killed 36 people and injured hundreds more in Bridge Creek, Moore, Oklahoma City, Del City and Midwest City, Oklahoma. On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, a terrorist attack claimed the lives of 2,996 people. On Monday, May 20, 2013 an EF5 tornado killed 24 people and injured hundreds of others in Moore, Oklahoma. Briarwood Elementary School and Plaza Towers

Draw a line between work and life, advises entrepreneur Veronica Kirin. When you're starting a business you need to be intentional about planning down time, so you don't find yourself becoming a workaholic. Veronica Kirin is an anthropologist turned serial entrepreneur.  She loves working closely with clients to help them reach their goals.  Her first business, Green Cup Design, began as a freelance web design venture and has grown into digital maintenance for small businesses. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/veronica-kirin-unplugged/ Key Takeaways A college degree leads to opportunities, but many opportunities outside of that degree may open up as well. Entrepreneurs have a lot of pride in what they do and have a hard time letting go and letting others help. Are you a workaholic? Draw a line between your work and your life. Set a hard-stop time for yourself. Don't work during your days off. Set a slower pace in the morning during your days off. Try not to get into "checklist mode" during down times.

Chris Britton used to be the kind of guy who would rarely take a long vacation. When he did, he could not completely get unplugged and resist taking calls and answering emails. Now when he books a vacation, he specifically looks for areas with horrible cell phone coverage and leaves for two weeks at a time. Chris Britton leads the vendor management team for a top insurance carrier where he’s worked in the industry for the past 17 years. He currently lives in Austin TX. Chris was also featured on Hello Tech Pros episode 19 where he discussed the why's and how's of developing relationships with vendors and business partners. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/chris-britton-unplugged/ Key Takeaways Vacations are a great way to find inspiration, but on the next Monday back reality sets in If you don't take time off and really get unplugged, it will create a monster inside you The accumulation of longterm stress can lead to self-destructive behaviors, including Retail therapy Over-eating Defensive attitudes

Being a workaholic is both socially acceptable and culturally encouraged, but it's also damaging to our health and relationships. Nathan Johns has more than twenty years of experience with an emphasis on Business Strategy and Product Management at large tech sector corporations like Creative Labs and Dell. He has managed eighteen product lines including designing go-to-market strategies, overseeing product transitions, and identifying opportunities to improve gross margin and unit growth. Nathan also has more than six years’ experience as a professional wedding and portrait photographer and regularly mentors others both personally and professionally. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/nathan-johns-unplugged/ Key Takeaways Your employer's goal is to get as much productivity out of you as possible - it is your job to say "enough is enough" Enjoy a lifestyle that allows you to spend time away from work and have enjoyable life experiences If you're never unplugged from work and plugged into your family, you'

Kevin Holesh is a Pittsburgh-based UI designer and iOS developer who loves making and coding clear interfaces. Kevin is the creator of Moment and Moment Family, the iOS apps that tracks how much you and your family use your iPhones and iPads each day. His work has been featured in the New York Times, TechCrunch, BuzzFeed, Good Morning America, Parents magazine and many other national publications. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/kevin-holesh-unplugged/ Key Takeaways Do you know how much time you spend on your phone? The average Moment user uses their mobile device for 2 hours and 44 minutes a day 3:30pm is a typical part of the day when people are tired from work and gravitate to their phones Keeping your phone away from your bedside can cut your usage down nearly 50% Knowing how much you use your device can allow you to make better decisions on how you spend your time People tend to underestimate their phone usage by 50% Better things to do with your time other than screen time Improve relationships

Heath Padgett was in software sales in Austin, TX when he decided that the job and lifestyle didn't suit him. Newlyweds, Heath and his wife Alyssa decided to trade a house in surburbia and a corporate career for a 29-foot RV and odd jobs across the country. Now they are living and working a lifestyle business that allows them unlimited travel and an always-on vacation. Heath Padgett lives, works and travels full-time in an RV. Last year Heath worked a different job in all 50 states and just finished editing a documentary with his wife called Hourly America. Heath is a bit of an RV enthusiast (okay, a big one). He also hosts a weekly podcast called The RV Entrepreneur where he interviews nomadic entrepreneurs who have built businesses while traveling full-time. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/heath-padgett-unplugged/ Key Takeaways There are jobs to be found in all 50 states, you just have to be willing to work them When you are 23, there is an expectation that you should get a good job and travel later

When work sucks the life out of him, Jeff Souders escapes the bonds of earth by flying in his WW-II era open cockpit biplane from the runway he built in his backyard. He also runs a popular YouTube channel that highlights his passion of traveling, flying drones and landscape photography. Jeff Souders is a software developer with experience in .NET, SAP ABAP and Objective C. When not building amazing apps for his employer or himself, Jeff enjoys flying drones and airplanes, photography and traveling the globe. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/jeff-souders-unplugged/ Key Takeaways Money can't buy happiness but it can buy memories Old things last a long time, new things are disposable When you're on your deathbed, you're not going to wish you spent more time in the office Resources Mentioned Stampe SV.4C biplane DJI Phantom 4 Quadcopter drone Sponsors This episode of Hello Tech Pros is sponsored by ScrumBrawl ScrumBrawl is a fast paced, extremely chaotic board game where fantastical creatures vie for s

ScrumBrawl is a competitive board game designed for 2-4 players where fantastic creatures vie for supremacy within a 20x20 battle arena. Tim Bugher, one-half of VicTim Games, shares the origin story of the game (conceived as a space battle card game) as well as his reasons for getting unplugged on this episode. Tim Bugher started working in the internet/web development field in 1997 as dial-up tech support.  One day as a joke, he Photoshopped a picture of his boss and emailed it to everyone at the small local ISP where he worked. Instead of being reprimanded, he was promptly moved over to work in their web development dept.  He's been involved with web development in some capacity ever since. For fun, Tim likes to play basketball and golf, ride motorcycles, draw, and play and invent board games.  His wife also loves to ride motorcycles and is also involved in technology, working for the Air Force at the Air Force Institute of Technology.  They have daughter who in the Air Force working on F-22s and they also

After taking a Lean Facilitation class at work, Robert Mitchell realized that leading a software development team is a lot like facilitating a role-playing game like Star Wars: Edge of the Empire. As a Game Master, you want to present the players with the challenges and help them talk through the possible options to find a resolution without railroading them into the "right" answer. As a Lean Facilitator on a software development team, you want to present the team with the challenges and help them talk through the possible options to find a resolution without forcing your agenda. As Robert Mitchell was not blessed to play soccer professionally, he has been working in the software development field for 12 years. He worked for several different sized shops, but found a great company with American Fidelity. In his time off, he chases after 15 month old twins, plays soccer and tries to find time to play RPGs. Key Takeaways Role-playing games are just an excuse to get friends together It's tougher to keep a group

While dealing with PCI compliance issues with EMV in point of sales systems, Robert faced health issues due to stress. Taking his wife's suggestion, Robert sold most of his possessions and bought 20 acres and a 336 square foot micro cabin and shares the property with 2 horses and 9 dogs. There Robert enjoys relaxing and hitting golf balls across the open range. Robert Wilkins III is a disruptive cloud & mobile technology strategist for the biggest casino in the world. He is DevOps advocate, and farmer. This episode of Hello Tech Pros is sponsored by… ME, Chad Bostick. As an enterprise IT leader I’ve gotten the opportunity to solve a number of different business problems including field worker productivity, back-office process efficiencies, enterprise system integrations, big data analysis, resource management, and IT complexity reduction. Each project comes with it’s own unique challenge whether it be distributed teams, change management, stakeholder buy-in, availability of subject matter experts or just

Stephen Taylor spends time every single day focusing on fun things as well as work things. But even the fun things can turn into a routine. That's why he aims to "invest inspired" in new experiences whether that is helping people unlock their true potential, traveling to a new area, snowboarding down a new mountain or picking up a new language. His goal is to give back to the community by creating jobs, education and a sustainable food source for underprivileged communities by starting an aquaponics center. Stephen Taylor is a business technology leader who has been managing IT Infrastructure, Applications and Software Development for over 15 years. He has been in senior management at multiple Fortune 500 companies and ran his own startup. This episode is sponsored by: Hello Tech Pros. Want to be a guest on the show? Chad Bostick here, and I’m helping professionals who work with technology build a personal brand and get connected to an audience of thousands of technologists, entrepreneurs, business leaders an