Code 3: Life. Reinvented.

AJ Jones, Founder, MORE® — Aligned Reinvention Guide
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I’m AJ Jones. Twice, a massive widowmaker heart attack nearly ended my life. Twice, I walked away with more than just a second chance. And twice I had to rethink everything. After a 20+ year career with firms like Schwab, BlackRock, and Wells Fargo, my cardiologist told me to retire. Instead, I doubled down on a new mission: to help people stop living on autopilot and start redefining what’s possible. Or put another way, with all due respect to my cardiologist I have unfinished business. Code 3: Life. Reinvented. is not another career podcast. It’s a wake-up call. Each episode is real and urgent. Hear conversations with bold pivoters who left comfort and “success” behind to pursue something meaningful, and with authors and experts who study transformation. We’ll emphasize bringing their stories and techniques into your reality.  And you’ll hear from me: unfiltered lessons, radical honesty, and a playbook for reinventing your life before it breaks you. If you’re a high-achieving professional who knows something has to change, this is your siren. Don’t wait for a crisis to force reinvention. This is your Code 3. Code 3: Life. Reinvented. is an initiative of MOREⓇ, an aligned reinvention company. Brought to you by The More Project, Inc.: https://www.bemorealigned.com

  1. Ep. 23: The Life Matt Hunt Chose

    3 DAYS AGO

    Ep. 23: The Life Matt Hunt Chose

    This episode of Code 3: Life .Reinvented. is unlike any I’ve recorded. When I first met Matt Hunt, I was instantly drawn in by his story — a former banker who walked away from a stable, successful career to pursue something most people would never consider: diving offshore for prehistoric Megalodon teeth and building a life around it. What started as curiosity quickly became something deeper. Matt wasn’t just chasing adventure, he was answering a calling. One that had been with him since he was a kid watching his father dive. One that never fully went away, even during 18 years in banking. In our conversation, Matt shares what it really takes to leave behind the “comfortable cage” — the paycheck, the benefits, the certainty — and go all in on something that actually makes you feel alive. We talk about fear, risk, partnership, identity, and the quiet knowing that there has to be more than this. And then… life delivered a moment none of us expect. Shortly after recording this episode, Matt tragically passed away while diving in the ocean doing exactly what he loved. I didn’t know Matt for long. But I knew enough to feel the weight of that loss. This episode is now more than a conversation. It’s a reminder. A reminder that time is not guaranteed. That the pull you feel toward something more isn’t random. And that the greatest risk might not be failing, but never trying at all. Matt said it best: You’ll regret the things you didn’t do far more than the things you did.

    42 min
  2. Ep. 22: From Fired to Inspired: How Rock Bottom Sparked a 1,300-Employee Mission

    4 DAYS AGO

    Ep. 22: From Fired to Inspired: How Rock Bottom Sparked a 1,300-Employee Mission

    In this episode of Code 3: Life Reinvented, I sit down with Merry Korn, whose story is a powerful reminder that sometimes our greatest breakthroughs begin with our lowest moments. Merry’s “Code 3 moment” came when she was suddenly fired from a job she had held for just two months. As a single mother with two kids preparing for college, she woke up one morning with no income, very little savings, and no idea how she was going to move forward. What followed wasn’t a perfectly mapped-out plan — it was a series of bold steps fueled by determination, courage, and a refusal to stay stuck. Instead of retreating, Merry started calling everyone she knew and scheduling informational interviews. Those conversations eventually led her to launch a business that would become Pearl Interactive Network, a company that grew to employ more than 1,300 people across 30 states. But what made her company truly remarkable was its mission. Merry intentionally built a workforce made up of people the world often overlooks: disabled veterans, people with severe disabilities, military spouses, and individuals living in the most economically challenged parts of the country. Through meaningful work and opportunity, she created not just jobs, but purpose, dignity, and community. In our conversation we talk about: Why fear is not a reason to stop The importance of doing the inner work to discover your purpose How informational interviews can open unexpected doors Why choosing a job is often really choosing your life And how some of the most powerful reinventions happen later in life Merry started her company at 46 years old, proving that it’s never too late to rebuild your life around what truly matters. Her story is a reminder that you don’t need the entire roadmap to begin. Sometimes all you need is the courage to take the first step, even when you’re afraid. Because as we talk about in this episode, fear may show up… but it doesn’t get to decide the direction of your life. Check out our site bemorealigned.com for more information about how we can help you find your purpose and gain alignment in your life.

    40 min
  3. Ep. 21: What Is Alignment? Authentic Truth, Ambition & the Hidden Cost of Success

    9 MAR

    Ep. 21: What Is Alignment? Authentic Truth, Ambition & the Hidden Cost of Success

    What is alignment? And why do so many high achievers struggle to find it? In this solo episode of Code 3: Life Reinvented, I break down what alignment really means — and what it doesn’t. Alignment isn’t about quitting your job. It isn’t about blowing up your life. And it’s not about abandoning ambition. It’s about removing internal conflict. I share my framework around authentic truth, ambition, and action, and explain how misalignment happens when those forces fall into conflict instead of concert. In this episode, I explore: • Why high achievers override internal signals • How external success can silence internal truth • The hidden cost of misalignment — chronic tension, resentment, burnout • Why alignment removes friction, not effort • How to recognize when your ambition is asking you to betray yourself I also share a personal story from my time in financial services — how ignoring my authentic truth created emotional strain, anxiety, and serious health consequences. If you feel successful on paper but unsettled inside, this episode is for you. And at the end, I make a major announcement about my upcoming book, Powered by Authenticity, where I go deeper into living and leading in alignment. Because alignment isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about finally becoming honest. Please visit our site: bemorealigned.com.

    22 min
  4. Ep. 20. Burned-Out ER Doctor to Entrepreneur: Reinventing Your Identity After Medicine

    2 MAR

    Ep. 20. Burned-Out ER Doctor to Entrepreneur: Reinventing Your Identity After Medicine

    Emergency medicine. Physician burnout. Career reinvention. Identity shift. In this episode of Code 3: Life Reinvented, I sit down with Dr. Maureen “Dr. Moe” Gibbons, a former ER doctor who left emergency medicine after years in a Level II trauma center — not because she hated it, but because she didn’t realize how much it was costing her. After being pushed out of her primary ER role, Dr. Moe faced an identity crisis many high achievers experience: Who am I if I’m no longer my title? Together, Dr. Mo and I explore: Physician burnout vs. misalignment Compassion fatigue in emergency medicine Why high-achieving professionals stay in careers that no longer fit The fear of leaving a prestigious career Transitioning from ER doctor to entrepreneur Health freedom, time freedom, and income freedom How to move from feeling adrift to anchored Dr. Moe shares how she built a telehealth practice, launched a coaching business for physicians and high achievers, and wrote Freedom to Shift — helping others navigate focused career transitions without losing themselves in the process. If you’re a physician, executive, or high-performing professional questioning your current path, this conversation will challenge how you think about success, burnout, and reinvention. Because sometimes the biggest emergency… is the one happening quietly inside you. Interested in going deeper? Dr. Moe and I are hosting a live online masterclass for ER physicians exploring career alignment, identity shifts, and sustainable practice design on March 10, 2026. To learn more or request an invite, email: hello@bemorealigned.com

    47 min
  5. Ep 19: When Success Stops Working

    23 FEB

    Ep 19: When Success Stops Working

    What happens when your life looks successful on paper… but feels flat on the inside? In this solo episode, I explore a confusing and deeply common experience among high achievers: the moment when success keeps growing, but meaning quietly fades. I talk about the paradox of “numb success” — how external wins can slowly pull us away from our inner truth, relationships, and sense of being alive. When achievement becomes our identity, the same momentum that once fueled our growth can start to feel like a trap. In this episode, I break down the invisible trade-offs many high achievers make without realizing it: • Safety over truth • Status over meaning • Momentum over reflection • Being admired over being alive I also explore why emptiness isn’t a failure or a sign of ingratitude. It may be a signal that your growth is outpacing the meaning in your life. We look at the ways high performers try to “optimize away” this feeling with productivity, perks, upgrades, and distractions — and why that rarely works. I close with one powerful question to sit with: What metric have you been optimizing at the cost of meaning? If you’ve ever felt confused by your own success, this episode is for you. To learn about what we do, please visit bemorealigned.com.

    15 min
  6. Ep. 18: Alignment Isn’t Woo — It’s Biology (with Dr. Birgit Rauchbauer)

    16 FEB

    Ep. 18: Alignment Isn’t Woo — It’s Biology (with Dr. Birgit Rauchbauer)

    In this episode, I’m joined by someone who was my very first guest on Code 3 — Dr. Birgit Rauchbauer — and I’m excited to share a big announcement: she’s officially joining MORE as our Head of Research. Together, we dig into the question that’s been driving my work: What actually happens when you live and work in alignment — and what does the science say about it? We break down what people get wrong about purpose (hint: it doesn’t have to be heroic), how I define alignment as when your authentic truth, ambition, and actions are in harmony, and why grounding this work in evidence matters — especially for high achievers who want more than inspiration. We explore key findings from our research, including how alignment is associated with lower all-cause mortality, reduced cardiovascular risk, healthier lifestyle choices, and even increased cognitive flexibility. Then we go into the real obstacle: resistance. Birgit explains what’s happening in the brain when fear and uncertainty take over — the “amygdala hijack” — and how to work with fear instead of fighting it. We close with practical tools for moving toward alignment through small, values-based steps, nervous system regulation (breathing and body signals), and why community support makes change stick. If you’re a high achiever who looks successful on paper but feels something is off inside, this episode is for you. Want the paper we discuss? You can find it at bemorealigned.com or email me at hello@bemorealigned.com with the subject line “paper.”

    44 min
  7. Ep. 17: The Wake-Up Call After the Wake-Up Call

    9 FEB

    Ep. 17: The Wake-Up Call After the Wake-Up Call

    After my first widowmaker heart attack, I truly believed I had my wake-up call. I changed my diet. I committed to exercise. I followed my doctors’ guidance and told myself things would be different moving forward. For a while, they were. But over time, life quietly pulled me back to normal. The stress returned. Old habits crept in. The environment that nearly broke me didn’t really change — and eventually, eight years later, I had a second heart attack. In this deeply personal solo episode, I share the real story of what happened in the space between my two wake-up calls. The part nobody talks about. The slow drift back to the life that caused the crisis in the first place. This conversation is about why major wake-up calls don’t always lead to lasting change, how environment shapes our behavior more than motivation, and why the real wake-up call isn’t the crisis itself — it’s the moment you realize you’re returning to the life that hurt you. In this episode, I explore: • Why most people don’t maintain lifestyle changes after major health events • How stress and environment quietly pull us back into old patterns • The reality of regression to the mean in real life • Why survival alone doesn’t create alignment • The three questions I now ask myself — and invite you to ask too As I close the episode, I leave you with three questions: What are you calling manageable right now? What signal are you explaining away because everything still works? If nothing forced you to stop, what would you keep tolerating? If you’ve ever told yourself “I’ve got it under control” while quietly ignoring the signals, this episode is for you.

    18 min
  8. Ep. 16: From Panic Attacks to Purpose: A Conversation on Anxiety, Trust, and Alignment

    2 FEB

    Ep. 16: From Panic Attacks to Purpose: A Conversation on Anxiety, Trust, and Alignment

    In this episode of Code 3: Life, Reinvented, I sit down with my friend—and MORE® coach—Jonathan Binder, joining us from Lisbon, Portugal, to explore a Joseph Campbell line that keeps resurfacing in both of our lives: “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasures you seek.” Jon shares his Code 3 moment: years of terrifying heart palpitations that looked physical on paper, but ultimately forced him to confront something deeper—an emotional and spiritual crisis he’d been trying to “handle quietly.” We talk about what happens when you’ve built a life around being the calm, capable one… while you’re silently suffering inside. We get into identity, success, and the trap of proving yourself—how chasing external validation can keep you performing instead of living. Jon opens up about the fear of being seen, the fear of being judged, and the “Russian nesting doll” reality of growth: you enter one cave, and then there’s another. Jon also shares the leap that changed everything: moving his family from Marin County to Portugal—sight unseen—and what it taught him about trust, timing, and the lie that it’s “too late.” To make it practical, he offers a powerful tool anyone can use: the Vision Letter—writing a letter from your future self describing the life you want as if it’s already real. It’s a simple exercise that helps you reconnect with what your heart actually wants, beyond the conditioning. This is a conversation about courage, trust, reinvention, and why the path to alignment often starts with telling the truth—out loud. If you'd like to explore what MORE® has to offer, please visit bemorealigned.com. Here's how you can connect with Jon.

    52 min
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About

I’m AJ Jones. Twice, a massive widowmaker heart attack nearly ended my life. Twice, I walked away with more than just a second chance. And twice I had to rethink everything. After a 20+ year career with firms like Schwab, BlackRock, and Wells Fargo, my cardiologist told me to retire. Instead, I doubled down on a new mission: to help people stop living on autopilot and start redefining what’s possible. Or put another way, with all due respect to my cardiologist I have unfinished business. Code 3: Life. Reinvented. is not another career podcast. It’s a wake-up call. Each episode is real and urgent. Hear conversations with bold pivoters who left comfort and “success” behind to pursue something meaningful, and with authors and experts who study transformation. We’ll emphasize bringing their stories and techniques into your reality.  And you’ll hear from me: unfiltered lessons, radical honesty, and a playbook for reinventing your life before it breaks you. If you’re a high-achieving professional who knows something has to change, this is your siren. Don’t wait for a crisis to force reinvention. This is your Code 3. Code 3: Life. Reinvented. is an initiative of MOREⓇ, an aligned reinvention company. Brought to you by The More Project, Inc.: https://www.bemorealigned.com

Information

  • Creator
    AJ Jones, Founder, MORE® — Aligned Reinvention Guide
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2c63b0f0-a2d5-11f0-90bb-f7b63a0a3347
  • Show Website
    Code 3: Life. Reinvented.