I Used to be Somebody

Carl Landau
  • 4.9 (92)
  • CAREERS
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

I Used to Be Somebody inspires 50+ year olds to build their (Un)Retired good life. Each month we interview cool, inspiring people about their retirement challenges and why and how they figured it out—turning this phase of life into an incredible, rewarding reality. It's for people who don't want to retire--they just want to do something new that is more fun, less grind, and more meaningful. Our guests have created amazing Second Acts! Oh, and there's a little talk about Pickleball.

  1. Tom Marks: Survived 40+ Years in the Ad Biz to a Coming of Age in Retirement

    FEB 10

    Tom Marks: Survived 40+ Years in the Ad Biz to a Coming of Age in Retirement

    Hang onto your hat this month because Carl interviewed former ad wiz Tom Marks. We go on a wild retirement story. Tom's first couple of years in retirement he summed up in in one word "horrible". He moved into a 50+ community that he hated. He made a rigid list of activities that he "thought" he should be doing in retirement. He felt like he was on a hamster wheel and didn't know how to get off. It wasn't until he figured out that writing was what gave him peace and purpose. He just completed his second best-selling book, Coming of Age in Retirement, An Advertising Executive's story of Enlightenment and Revelation. It's full of insights into how to find your path to true happiness in retirement. He does so with candor and great humor. A bonus is hearing about Tom's father Melvin Marks who was a true celebrity in the advertising world. He was the marketing genius behind the success of Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn. • More about Tom Marks: https://thepeacefulretiree.com/author/tom-marks • Tom's newest book: https://www.comingofageinretirement.com • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/tom-marks-interview-survived-40-years-in-the-ad-biz-to-a-coming-of-age-in-retirement • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die/  • Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide • I Used to be Somebody World Tour: https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/all-tours • Subscribe to the the I Used to be Somebody Newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

    52 min
  2. Jillian Johnsrud: Learn How To Take Mini Retirements

    JAN 13

    Jillian Johnsrud: Learn How To Take Mini Retirements

    Take a mini-retirement during your career? Take a retirement during your retirement? What? These are crazy ideas. But are they? Author Jillian Johnsrud explains this concept and why it's so good for you. Host Carl is a believer and has personally taken 3 long breaks during his career. It helps you avoid burnout and gives you time and space to really think about what you want to do next in your career and life. Jillian has personally taken a dozen mini-retirements in 20 years. She explains how to create your own sabbatical, including how to talk with your employer about it, how to financially afford the sabbatical and even how to to plan for it. For entrepreneurs, she talks about how you can take a break without hurting your business, too. Jillian goes on to talk about the many benefits of taking a mini-retirement during your retirement. What? You'll need to listen in.  • More about Jillian Johnsrud: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Jillian-Johnsrud-Interview-Learn-How-To-Take-Mini-Retirements  • Jillian's book Retire Often: https://retireoften.com/book/ • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Jillian-Johnsrud-Interview-Learn-How-To-Take-Mini-Retirements  • Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide/  • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die/  • I Used to be Somebody World Tour: https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/all-tours  • Subscribe to the the I Used to be Somebody Newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

    52 min
  3. Kevin Blake Interview: Mystifying Second Act as an Illusionist

    12/09/2025

    Kevin Blake Interview: Mystifying Second Act as an Illusionist

    Carl gets to talk about "magic" for the first time ever on the show. Kevin Blake made a 180-degree change in his working life. He moved from a promising career in digital marketing, working with big time clients (JanSport Backpacks, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Duraflame, Intel and more), to working as a professional Illusionist / Entertainer. He always had a passion for performing magic and took the big leap, turning his fun side gig into a lucrative and totally rewarding career. His AHA moment came during the pandemic, when he performed online magic shows multiple times a day for companies. He made an insane amount of money in just one month -- December of 2020 (you'll need to listen to believe). Kevin has competed and performed on a national level -- America's Got Talent and Penn & Teller: Fool us. He is the star 3-4 nights a week as The Illusionist at The Palace Theater. And he's absolutely living his dream! More about Kevin Blake: https://kevinblakemagic.com Kevin's Show, The Illusionist at The Palace Theater: https://sanfranciscomagicshow.com Episode Content: Thttps://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/kevin-blake-interview-mystifying-second-act-as-an-illusionist Sponsor by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide Sponsor by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die I Used to be Somebody World Tour: https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/all-tours Subscribe to the I Used to be Somebody Newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

    49 min
  4. Anthony Napolitano: Forced Into Early Retirement and Now a Renaissance Man

    11/11/2025

    Anthony Napolitano: Forced Into Early Retirement and Now a Renaissance Man

    This month we tackle a topic we haven't talked much about...Forced Retirements. Anthony Napolitano had a very successful career in the high-tech world. Then he was laid off not once, but twice by two big corporations right around when he was 50 years old. That was two years ago, and since then he has plunged into the world of early retirement with great enthusiasm, (which is an understatement.) His friends joke that he doesn't have a "Type A personality," he has a "Type-Anthony personality".  Anthony has an analytical mind and devised a personalized Life Retirement Plan. He bases his plan on the four pillars of Health, Mindset, Purpose and Relationships. He even grades himself every year. He was a star baseball player in high school and then went on to play four years of college division 1 baseball at Loyola-Marymount College. So in (un)retirement, Anthony is a natural as a high school coach. He loves being the assistant coach for the girls volleyball team. He also works as a wine educator at a local winery in his tiny mountain town of Julian, CA, just outside of San Diego. He does a little bit of everything at the winery, from picking grapes to hosting wine tasting events. You will love Anthony. He's full of wonder and personality. Although Carl points out that he is the star of the podcast, Anthony clearly steals this month's show. • More about Anthony Napolitano: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonynapolitano • Anthony's Blog "For the Napos": https://forthenapos.com • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/anthony-napolitano-interview-rorced-into-early-retirement-and-now-a-renaissance-man • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die:  https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die • Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide • I Used to be Somebody World Tours:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/all-tours • Subscribe to I Used to be Somebody newsletter:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

    52 min
  5. Fritz Gilbert: Mr. Retirement -- Author of "The Retirement Manifesto"

    10/21/2025

    Fritz Gilbert: Mr. Retirement -- Author of "The Retirement Manifesto"

    It takes a long time to hit 100 episodes when you're a monthly podcast. So we're pretty excited. Carl wanted to get the perfect guest. He chose Fritz Gilbert the OG, who is the top voice in the modern retirement movement. Fritz is a retirement expert/book author/speaker/do-gooder and the author of award winning "The Retirement Manifesto". He's written 400+ articles and 1 million words about retirement and how to live your very best life in this next phase of life. Fritz totally delivers! He's high-energy, funny and gives incredible insights into helping you plan a smooth transition to and once you're in that retirement how you can make it even better.  • More about Fritz Gilbert:  https://www.theretirementmanifesto.com/about/  • Fritz's Fritz's Retirement Manifesto "Ten Commandments of Retirement: https://www.theretirementmanifesto.com/the-ten-commandments-of-retirement/  • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Fritz-gilbert-interview-mr-retirement-author-of-the-retirement-manifesto  • Sponsored by Capital Advantage:  https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide/  • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die/  • I Used to be Somebody World Tour: https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/all-tours  • Subscribe to I Used to be Somebody newsletter:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

    49 min
  6. Carin Stutz: Restaurant Industry Icon Pays It Forward

    09/23/2025

    Carin Stutz: Restaurant Industry Icon Pays It Forward

    Who doesn't like to go out to eat? Carin Stutz gives you a behind the scenes look into the restaurant business. She is a true icon in the industry spending 40+ years as a C-level Exec. She started as a manager trainee at Wendy's International and she worked her way up to Division Vice President.  She shares stories of working with the celebrity Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's, as well as her brush with fame by meeting movie star George Clooney. The rest of her career was in the hot trend of "fast casual" dining, with C-Level positions at Applebee's, Chili's and another half dozen other successful chains.  Carin shares what the restaurant business is really like, as in the long hard hours, the missed vacations and family events. Yet she truly loves the industry and the people. She is making up for lost time now with lots of international travel and attending concerts every week. She is also giving back to her industry. She helped start a wildly successful non-profit and serves on lots of very worthwhile boards. She has dedicated her (un)retirement to giving back! More about Carin Stutz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carin-stutz-832b766 Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Carin-Stutz-Interview-Restaurant-Industry-Icon-Pays-It-Forward Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide "I Used to be Somebody World Tour" -- SOLD OUT! https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" newsletter:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

    48 min
  7. Best of "Pickleball Chronicles with Traver"

    09/02/2025

    Best of "Pickleball Chronicles with Traver"

    It's BONUS day in the Landau Tiki Bar this week. We're featuring The Best of "Pickleball Chronicles with Traver". Even if you're not a pickleball enthusiast, you'll really enjoy this episode. Six fun-filled and heartfelt stories. Traver West joined me on the show about 2 years ago. He works at Pickleball Central, the world's largest pickleball company in the world. We have fun every month just talking about the sport we both love...PICKLEBALL. Enjoy our 6 favorite segments of "Pickleball Chronicles with Traver"! Valentine's day, sweet customer anecdotes Playing in adverse conditions How my DJ career has helped in pickleball Being a good pickleball partner Turning a bad run around The growth of Pickleball

    29 min
  8. David Johnson: The King of Pickleball Industry Begins His Second Act

    08/12/2025

    David Johnson: The King of Pickleball Industry Begins His Second Act

    Carl finally got a chance to interview one of the leaders of the modern day pickleball industry -- David Johnson. What a wild ride! He takes us from the early days of computer programming, website design to even the first online funeral business site. But it's the launch of Pickleball Central in 2006 that gets everyone's attention.  David and his wife Anna started by literally talking to one new pickleball player / customer at a time from their kitchen table. They ultimately built the largest pickleball company in the world with revenues of $40 million dollars a year.  It's a super fun journey through the evolution of pickleball to the sale of his company that grew along with the sport's wild popularity. Now David's second act is giving back to the industry with his International Association of Pickleball Facilities (IAPF).  You don't need to be a pickleball enthusiast to enjoy the episode. David gives great advice for someone that wants to take their career experience and build it into a meaningful second act. • More about David Johnson:  https://www.pickleballconsultinggroup.com/about • More about Association of Pickleball Facilities (IAPF):  https://pickleballfacilities.org • Episode Content:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/david-johnson-interview-the-king-of-pickleball-industry-begins-his-second-act • Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die • "I Used to be Somebody World Tour" -- SOLD OUT! https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour • Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" newsletter:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

    56 min
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Trailer

4.9
out of 5
92 Ratings

About

I Used to Be Somebody inspires 50+ year olds to build their (Un)Retired good life. Each month we interview cool, inspiring people about their retirement challenges and why and how they figured it out—turning this phase of life into an incredible, rewarding reality. It's for people who don't want to retire--they just want to do something new that is more fun, less grind, and more meaningful. Our guests have created amazing Second Acts! Oh, and there's a little talk about Pickleball.

Information

  • Creator
    Carl Landau
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    105
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Pickleball Media
  • Show Website
    I Used to be Somebody

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