In this conversation, we dig into how he got there, the ways ego and identity can help us make decisions, and why being yourself is often the scariest option (but for Max, it’s the only option).

We get into:

• How his experiences growing up shape how he shows up with others today

• How to know when it’s finally time to let something go, even if it’s something that is seemingly doing well and that other’s enjoy

• What it means to build community without it being a strategy

• Scarcity vs. trust as decision drivers

• Career growth and thoughts on living for retirement

I am truly so excited, honored, humbled, etc. that Max joined me, and I couldn’t think of a more perfect guest. Max and I connected on Substack (where he write’s ), and then LinkedIn, and then he was just everywhere, connected to everyone, and one of those personalities that instantly attract. He’s the ultimate hype man, will send you $10 for a coffee when you’re having a not-so-great day, and is overall the guy you want in your corner (the way he talks about his wife and family is just the absolute sweetest, too 😭🥹).

I can’t wait for you all to listen to this one. As I was editing, I was laughing and nodding along as if I was hearing it for the first time. 😅

Find Max:

• Substack:

• LinkedIn: Max Pete

Be Cringe is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you know someone who’d make a great guest on the pod (yourself included), fill out this form!

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In this solo episode, I lay the foundation for what I hope we’ll all get out of this podcast. I also share some pretty big news (and I do it suspiciously casually…).

This is actually the second version of this intro episode. When I first decided to launch the podcast, I wrote out what I wanted to talk about in this first episode and turned it into a script. It was polished, it didn’t ramble or go off on tangents, and overall, it sounded clean.

Too clean, if you asked me. I published it just moments after I put up the trailer, but took it down after listening again. It sounded scripted, and it didn’t sound like me.

It sounded like I wrote something for This Might Be Cringe, set up my mic, and recorded it to be enjoyed while reading on Substack. There’s definitely a time and place for that — I’ve always wanted to add recordings to my essays, but if that were the goal, I wouldn’t need a podcast.

I want the podcast to be different. I want the conversations I have and learnings and insights that come out of those conversations to happen authentically and organically, and I knew I had to lead by example with this solo episode. It’s less polished, and that feels important for me.

One of the reasons starting a podcast has felt so difficult for me (besides it being totally cringe) is that I’ve sold myself a narrative that I’m not a speaker but a writer — that written communication just isn’t my jam, that I talk in circles and ramble, and that I don’t have a voice for radio. And if I am being self-aware, that all might be true! But I know it won’t get easier unless I try.

Also, we’re allowed to do things we’re bad at. We’re allowed to have fun while learning, figuring it out, and making mistakes along the way.

I’ll be back in a few weeks’ time with our first guest! I’m really excited about the conversation we’re going to have, and can’t wait for you to follow along.

Thanks for listening to Be Cringe.

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Be Cringe is available wherever you get your podcasts, and this episode will be available on all platforms very soon. If you know someone who’d make a great guest, let me know in the comments below.

Apple | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

I’ve wanted to start a Podcast for a while. Like, for years. And when my husband gifted me a podcast mic for Valentine’s Day, I felt I had no other choice but to jump right in.

That’s the power of wanting.

Welcome to Be Cringe, the podcast that explores what happens when you start living for yourself and stop worrying about all the other noise. This might be cringe, but we're doing it anyway.

There is something you want to do — you’ve just been letting your fear (of embarrassment, of failure, of whatever) get in your way. If that’s you, you’re in the right place.

More to come soon!

Be Cringe is available wherever you get your podcasts, including right here on Substack. If you know someone who’d make a great guest, let me know below.

Apple | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio