Travis Makes Money

In this clip from Travis Chappell’s appearance on the Optimal Self Conversations podcast, Travis breaks down how entrepreneurs can become more productive by focusing their time on the things they do disproportionately well. He shares how his competitive nature shaped his approach to business, why he believes success comes from constantly improving rather than simply being “talented,” and how mentorship helped him accelerate his learning. Travis also explains how setting boundaries, delegating effectively, and prioritizing his family have allowed him to spend more time in his zone of genius while building a business and raising a family.

On this episode we talk about

Where Travis’s competitive drive comes from and how it has evolved over time

The difference between competing against others and competing against who you were yesterday

Why a little bit of competition can be a useful source of motivation

How Travis learned to prioritize the highest-leverage activities in his life

Why entrepreneurs need to learn when to say yes and when to say no

What a “zone of genius” is and how to identify yours

Why doing everything yourself can prevent a business from scaling

How hiring and delegating allowed Travis to focus on his highest-value work

Building clear boundaries around work, family, and personal time

Why productivity is about being productive, not simply being busy

The importance of identifying your “big three” priorities each day

Why your zone of genius isn't necessarily something you're born knowing

How taking on different jobs and responsibilities can help you discover what you're good at

The relationship between talent, hard work, and developing a skill

Why mentorship can dramatically shorten your learning curve

How books, podcasts, and relationships can serve as forms of mentorship

Why time is more valuable than money when it comes to learning

How discipline, habit stacking, and identity work together

Creating the identity you want through consistent action

Top 3 Takeaways

Find your zone of genius and spend more time there.Your zone of genius is the work you're disproportionately good at and enjoy to some degree. Once you identify those activities, your goal should be to spend the majority of your time on them while finding other people who are better suited to handle the tasks outside your strengths.

You discover your strengths by doing the work.Travis doesn't believe your zone of genius simply appears out of nowhere. You have to try things, work hard, develop skills, and pay attention to what you're naturally good at and enjoy. His experience in sales showed him that an initial advantage only becomes valuable when it's paired with continuous learning and effort.

Use discipline to build habits that become your identity.Rather than relying on willpower every day, Travis recommends creating habits and systems that reduce the number of decisions you have to make. Over time, those habits become part of your identity, making the behaviors you once had to force yourself to do feel like a natural part of who you are.

Notable Quotes

“Happiness and fulfillment have little to do with your status compared to other people and a lot more to do with your status compared to who you were yesterday.”

“You should not be spending a ton of time outside of your zone of genius.”

“Figure out the thing that you are disproportionately good at and spend the majority of your time doing that thing.”

“You don't have to reinvent the wheel. I think too many people discount themselves mentally if they don't figure it out.”

“Time is the ultimate asset that we have in life. Money is by definition replenishable. Time is not.”

“Discipline is freedom.”

“Once your habits become your identity, then that's formed in you.”

“The life that you want to live is on the other side of discipline.”

Connect with Travis Chappell

Website: TravisChappell.com

Social Media: Available through TravisChappell.com

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Kyle Vowinkel is a decorated former FBI senior executive, West Point graduate, keynote speaker, and author of the forthcoming book Shaping Chaos. During more than 24 years with the FBI, Kyle served on both the FBI Hostage Rescue Team and Crisis Negotiation Unit, making him one of only five agents to serve on both. He has negotiated with kidnappers, pirates, and terrorists and deployed alongside U.S. Special Operations Forces. Today, he helps leaders assess risk, make better decisions under uncertainty, influence others, and act decisively when the stakes are high.

On this episode we talk about:

Why Kyle decided to serve his country and ultimately pursue a career with the FBI

How earning money from a paper route at 11 taught him the value of saving and investing early

The financial lessons Kyle learned from his father and through government service

How Kyle built nearly 32 years of government service and incorporated his military time into his federal retirement

Launching his business, Inner Perimeter, after retiring from the FBI

How professional connections helped create opportunities for Kyle after leaving the FBI

Why nurturing relationships over the long term is one of the most valuable things you can do for your career

The radically different approaches Kyle learned from serving on both the Hostage Rescue Team and Crisis Negotiation Unit

How lessons from high-stakes FBI operations translate directly into sales, leadership, and entrepreneurship

The four-step “path to influence”: framing, empathy, rapport, and giving people choices

How Kyle used genuine connection and empathy during the Boston Marathon bombing manhunt

Why “control can extract compliance, but choice creates commitment”

How giving people agency can make them more committed to a decision

Why empathy doesn't require agreeing with someone

The importance of seeing a situation from another person's perspective before trying to influence them

What entrepreneurs and leaders can learn from crisis-response decision-making

Why leaders should establish decision-making triggers before a crisis happens

How businesses can prepare for uncertainty by planning for best-case, most likely, and worst-case scenarios

Kyle's forthcoming book, Shaping Chaos, and the lessons he drew from his FBI career

Top 3 Takeaways:

1. Make the hard decisions before the pressure hits.Kyle explains that emotions tend to rise while rational thinking declines as a crisis intensifies. One way to counter that is to establish decision-making triggers in advance. Whether you're responding to a kidnapping or preparing a business for a major market event, knowing ahead of time what circumstances will trigger specific actions can help teams respond decisively rather than emotionally.

2. Influence starts with understanding, not coercion.Kyle's experience as a crisis negotiator taught him that people are more receptive when they feel seen, valued, and heard. Framing the conversation from the other person's perspective, demonstrating empathy, building genuine rapport, and giving people choices can create a much stronger path to influence than simply trying to force compliance.

3. Relationships remain a competitive advantage.Kyle emphasizes that professional relationships need to be nurtured over time rather than activated only when you need something. Checking in, helping others, and building genuine connections creates a network that can support you throughout different seasons of your career. As Kyle puts it, AI may change how we work, but it can't replace the one-on-one relationships that help people succeed.

Notable Quotes:

“I’ve been working since I’m eleven.”

“You can let chaos shape you, or you can try to shape the chaos.”

“Control can extract compliance, but choice creates commitment.”

“When people feel that they are seen, valued, and heard, that’s the kind of three trifecta.”

“Empathy is not judgment.”

“You don’t just want them to go along because they have to go along. You want them choosing to.”

“You make the hard decisions in advance.”

Connect with Kyle Vowinkel:

Website: https://www.kylevowinkel.com/

Book: Shaping Chaos, available for pre-order ahead of its November release

A Word from Our Sponsors:- The most successful business owners don't do it all themselves — they delegate. Upwork lets you build a team of highly skilled specialists for every function your business needs, so you can focus on what you do best and let experts handle the rest. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free!
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In this clip from Travis Chappell’s appearance on the Truth About Addiction Podcast, Travis explores how changing your identity can create lasting changes in your habits, health, and life. He shares his own journey from identifying as someone who hated reading to becoming a consistent reader, and from thinking of himself as an athlete to adopting the broader identity of someone who prioritizes a healthy lifestyle. The conversation also dives into nutrition, sustainable weight loss, calorie tracking, discipline, and the importance of building habits that can actually last.

On this episode we talk about

Why lasting behavior change starts with changing the way you see yourself

How taking action can reinforce and strengthen a new identity

Travis’s journey from hating reading to becoming a consistent reader

Moving from an “athlete” identity to an identity centered around overall health and longevity

Why short-term fitness and diet challenges often lead to unsustainable results

Using calorie awareness and energy balance to understand weight management

How Travis approaches food, travel, indulgence, and nutrition without unnecessary restriction

The role of sleep, hydration, walking, nutrition, and other foundational health habits

Why community and positive influences can help reinforce lasting change

The difference between using structure as a helpful tool and becoming overly rigid

How grief, addiction, and emotional pain can affect someone’s relationship with food and their body

The importance of worthiness, faith, and taking a leap of faith when creating a new identity

Recognizing when healthy habits may become obsessive or counterproductive

Why sustainable health is ultimately a journey rather than a short-term challenge

Top 3 Takeaways

Your identity influences your actions.Travis explains that once you begin identifying as the person you want to become, your actions can start reinforcing that identity. Taking action—even when it feels unnatural at first—creates a feedback loop that makes the new identity increasingly real.

Sustainable change requires a long-term mindset.After years of losing and regaining weight through short-term challenges, Travis realized that another 30- or 60-day program wasn't the answer. Instead, he focused on understanding the fundamentals of nutrition and building habits he could maintain indefinitely.

Structure should serve your life, not control it.Travis and the host discuss the tension between using tools like calorie tracking to create awareness and becoming overly rigid around food and body image. The goal isn't perfection—it's finding an approach that supports your health, relationships, and overall quality of life.

Notable Quotes

“Your identity will not completely—your new identity will not be completely adopted without any action.”

“It’s okay to adopt this new identity.”

“Because you identify as this thing, you want to engage in this activity more. And because you engage in that activity more, it further solidifies your identity.”

“It has to be something that I can do long term.”

“It’s just the recognition that it’s gonna be a journey. It’s not gonna happen overnight.”

“All things in moderation, including moderation.”

Connect with Travis Chappell

Website: TravisChappell.com

Social: @TravisChappell

A Word from Our Sponsors:- The most successful business owners don't do it all themselves — they delegate. Upwork lets you build a team of highly skilled specialists for every function your business needs, so you can focus on what you do best and let experts handle the rest. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free!
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David Frankel is an inventor, entrepreneur, business owner, networking host, and podcaster who has built a career around sales, innovation, and solving problems. From starting as a teenage dishwasher to becoming a top-performing sales leader, opening his own offices, and eventually inventing the Perky Collar, David has continually reinvented himself throughout his career. His Perky Collar product has sold more than 35,000 units, reached over 366 stores, and generated $1.8 million in lifetime sales. Today, David balances a full-time career in RV sales with his product business, custom clothing, networking groups, and podcasting.

On this episode we talk about:

How David's first jobs taught him the value of earning his own money and independence

Why he initially studied pharmacy and wanted to find cures for diseases

How his grandfather helped him recognize that his strengths were better suited to business, sales, and relationship-building

Turning a sales job into an entrepreneurial opportunity by opening and managing his own locations

How David took a struggling sales office and helped transform it into a top-performing location

Why businesses sometimes need to pivot when the market itself is shrinking

The everyday problem that inspired David to invent the Perky Collar

How he turned a simple idea into a prototype, patented product, and retail business

The importance of finding trustworthy professionals when bringing an invention to market

The lessons David learned from opening a photography studio, franchising his business, and eventually closing his retail store

Why entrepreneurship doesn't have to mean working for yourself full-time

Building a life around the season you're in rather than forcing yourself into one definition of success

The sacrifices entrepreneurship can create for marriage, family, and personal life

Why having the right support system can make a major difference for entrepreneurs

Top 3 Takeaways:

1. Look for problems you can solve.The Perky Collar started with a simple problem David experienced himself: his dress-shirt collar wouldn't stay up. Instead of simply accepting the problem, he experimented with a solution, validated the concept, and eventually turned it into a product that generated millions in sales.

2. Your career doesn't have to follow a straight line.David moved from pharmacy to photography sales, management, entrepreneurship, product development, retail, and eventually RV sales and custom clothing. Each experience gave him skills and knowledge that he was able to carry into the next chapter.

3. Build the life that fits your current season.David ultimately chose stability and a steady paycheck over continuing to operate a retail store full-time, while keeping Perky as a supplemental income stream. As Travis points out, there isn't one correct way to make money or build a career. Sometimes entrepreneurship is the right move, and sometimes a job plus a side business creates the life you actually want.

Notable Quotes:

“I’ve always been motivated by money and having my own freedom and independence.”

“I’ve always had kind of had that innovative problem-solving mindset. I just had to figure out how to use it.”

“You can’t do it all yourself. You have to find someone to help you.”

“It’s a tough juggling act.”

“It’s all feathers for your hat. You learn things, you help other people.”

“It’s that constant reinvention and constant seeking of the vision that you have for your life.”

Connect with David Frankel:

Website: PerkyLLC.com

Social Media: @PerkyLLC on Facebook, Instagram, etc

A Word from Our Sponsors:- The most successful business owners don't do it all themselves — they delegate. Upwork lets you build a team of highly skilled specialists for every function your business needs, so you can focus on what you do best and let experts handle the rest. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free!
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In this episode of Travis Makes Money, we’re sharing a powerful clip from Travis Chappell’s appearance on the Modern Warrior podcast with Gavin Minin. Travis opens up about how facing a cancer diagnosis forced him to step back and reconsider his perspective on struggle, purpose, work, family, and relationships. He explains why a problem-free life isn’t necessarily the goal, how hardship can create a fresh perspective, and why finding meaning in your work can be just as important as finding meaning in your relationships. Travis also gets candid about the difficulty of allowing other people to support him through challenges and discusses the growing problem of loneliness, particularly among men.

On this episode we talk about:

How facing a major health scare can put everyday problems into perspective

Why a life without problems may not actually be the life we want

The idea that the goal isn’t to eliminate problems, but to keep moving forward in spite of them

How major challenges can force you to step back and look at your life differently

Why Travis came away from his experience with a renewed sense of purpose behind his work

Balancing family, business, podcasting, and the challenges of everyday life

How success can sometimes hide the personal struggles happening behind the scenes

Why Travis has struggled with allowing other people to support him

The importance of letting friends and family see you struggle instead of trying to maintain an impenetrable exterior

How expectations around masculinity can make it harder for men to be vulnerable

The difference between genuine connection and the appearance of connection on social media

Why loneliness among men is a problem that extends beyond social media

The importance of having healthy examples of friendship, vulnerability, and masculinity

Why being able to express who you really are is essential to building genuine relationships

Top 3 Takeaways

The goal isn’t a problem-free life.Travis argues that problems are an inevitable—and even valuable—part of being human. Solving one problem simply creates another, and rather than pursuing a life without challenges, we should focus on developing the ability to move forward when those challenges inevitably arise.

Hardship can clarify what actually matters.Travis describes his cancer diagnosis as a massive problem that temporarily overshadowed all the smaller problems in his life. Coming through that experience gave him a fresh perspective on the things he wanted to accomplish, particularly the importance of finding purpose and meaning in his work and setting an example for his children.

Let people be there for you.One of Travis’s biggest reflections is that he has historically been much better at supporting other people than allowing others to support him. He realized that keeping struggles hidden out of fear of appearing weak or becoming a burden can actually prevent us from experiencing the relationships and connection we need most.

Notable Quotes

“The goal is to be able to move forward in the face of problems, not to just not have them.”

“Cancer is like somebody dropped a hippopotamus on the table.”

“It gave me a fresh perspective on the importance of finding purpose and meaning in your work.”

“I do struggle with allowing people to be there for me.”

“I think I’ve been a selfish friend—that I haven’t allowed people to see me struggle.”

“We don’t want to be a burden to those around us, so we keep our struggles inside. But that’s the worst place for them to be.”

“If you don’t feel the freedom to express who you truly are, you’ll always be lonely.”

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- The most successful business owners don't do it all themselves — they delegate. Upwork lets you build a team of highly skilled specialists for every function your business needs, so you can focus on what you do best and let experts handle the rest. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free!
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