Jess Diamond (00:01.954)
Okay.

Welcome back to another episode of How to 20 something where today’s guest is a good friend of mine and someone I look up to literally and figuratively as Lou is really freaking tall and probably one of the most humble and kindhearted humans I know. Outside of his wonderful personality, he has demonstrated time and time again that you can be multi-passionate, change your mind with what you want to do and not be afraid to start over. And most of all, he serves as a reminder that

Time is on your side, which is why I wanted him to come on the show and talk to all of you. A lot of times, your 20s feel like you’re constantly losing the race against the clock. It’s to find a career path, to meet the love of your life, to buy a house, start a family, and then in between all of that, travel the world, find what fulfills you, move to a new city. It’s this decade where you’re constantly looking around and feeling behind.

especially when social media likes to show you that another person has gotten engaged or married or is having a baby or is reaching some major life milestone and you feel like all you’ve accomplished is remembering to brush your teeth that morning. And then you have all the older adults look at us like what are you doing? You have so much time. Why are you trying to rush through your life? Which is true, but

It doesn’t mean you should just sit back and do nothing with all this time, but rather use it to your advantage and change the way you look at it. So Lou is here to help you feel better about time and how it’s most definitely not running out, as well as how he’s started over several times. And in my eyes, he’s succeeding at life. So I’m going to introduce him and then I’ll let him tell his story. But Lou Smith is a former professional basketball player turned multi-hyphenate creative.

Jess Diamond (01:56.334)
with a career spanning fitness, hospitality, and media. A Chicago native and Loyola University Chicago graduate, Lou, I can’t speak. Lou earned all state honors and was named conference MVP in high school before continuing his basketball career at Loyola. During his time there, he was awarded most improved player as a sophomore and served as team captain his senior year before going on to play professionally.

Lou (02:06.529)
You

Jess Diamond (02:22.712)
becoming the first signed player and highest paid athlete on his team. After basketball, Lou channeled his leadership and hustle into managing some of Chicago’s most successful bars, including one that he helped grow from $500,000 to over $2 million in annual revenue. Motivated by his own experience as pro athlete, he transitioned into personal training, eventually becoming one of Chicago LAND’s top fitness coaches with over 630 clients trained, a Reebok Chicago sponsorship,

and the launch of his group fitness brand, Amped Up. Lou went on to open and operate his own fitness studio. That entrepreneurial journey sparked a new passion, visual storytelling. With a marketing degree from Loyola and a sharp eye for content, Lou expanded into videography and brand strategy. His work has since been featured by Pure Bar, Sluper Fashion, I hope I’m saying that right, Roman’s Well, Hi Fitness, shout out to Hive, and even the city of Charlotte.

He once even caught the attention of McDonald’s with a viral video tribute to his all time favorite guilty pleasure, the McRib. Now based in Charlotte, North Carolina, continues to grow a creative portfolio rooted in storytelling, strategy, and reinvention. Hi Lou, and welcome to How to 20 something.

Lou (03:29.77)
you

Lou (03:35.906)
Hello, thank you, Jess. That was an amazing intro and I’m excited to be here on one of my favorite podcasts, but also my first podcast.

Jess Diamond (03:44.932)
Congratulations. But your introduction gave us a lot of insight into your many accomplishments throughout your life, your adulting life. But I want to hear from you and basically ask what was going on in your mind each time you decided to pivot because it from an outsider looking in, it looks like very big pivots from one industry to another. So what was going on in your head? Take us through each of those moments.

Lou (03:47.371)
Thank you.

Lou (04:13.666)
You know, I think the biggest thing was they didn’t like big pivots for me at the time. It was more of one was leading me to the next step in every aspect of my life. I always had an entrepreneurial mindset. I always knew that I wanted to own a business and that just kind of comes with being a leader and wanting to manage a business as well.

after graduating, had the opportunity to, well, I wouldn’t call it an opportunity, it was more of a, got bills to pay now that I’m an adult and I’ve graduated, so let me get a job. And that started off working in the bar restaurant industry. And so working my way up, I was like, ooh, I really like this and I can do this really well. And as that progressed into management and I saw the success in that.

It was simultaneously fitness has always been a part of my life as a per as an athlete. So there was there were kind of two race cars going at the same time side by side. So jumping over into fitness was just natural. It just felt right. It was innate for me to do this. It was decided to make it more of a professional move. That was the biggest pivot. I had a significant amount of time in the restaurant and bar industry. I had already sat down.

Really, people knew me. People knew me for being a bar manager and known in the industry. So pivoting was like a huge step away. But I knew that you couldn’t do bar life and fitness life. It’s oil and water. So it just got to that point. I was like, you know what? I’m going to focus more on fitness. And I put that goal out there. I spoke into existence. I wanted to, again, own my own studio. And I had the opportunity to work under one of my

Jess Diamond (05:45.444)
Yeah.

Lou (05:58.892)
best friends and closest friends who taught me to trade and own his own studio. So instead of one big box, I got the opportunity to work small box and see how he did it. And honestly, it just kind of rolled right into that. And any trainer, anybody who’s in any fitness industry or any entrepreneur understands the value of social media. And as it grew, you just you have to be actively using your social media to market yourself. So again, that’s kind of was the next rolling aspect of my career.

Jess Diamond (06:29.2)
So you found one thing to pay the bills and then you’re like, I see the value in this and I’m good at this. But it led you into wanting to pursue fitness industry and knowing that you had to choose one. It is not an easy decision, but I mean, knowing your background as a professional athlete, I can relate. was not a professional athlete, not even in the slightest, but I can relate to fitness always being a major part of my life that when

When Push came to Shava, was like, I choose fitness. I love it so much. I don’t want a stable paycheck. I want to be enjoying how I’m spending my time and helping other people. And you might love recording for social media. I know I certainly don’t. But as you take us through this, I can see how they relate into one another. The biggest part with all of this is changing your mind, changing to go pursue a different path as it…

even though it was naturally ingrained into your storyline and it makes sense, it’s still decisions that you have to make. And there is still that newbie phase you have to enter every time you go into this new transition. So when you look back on, we’ll say like the last 15, 20 years of your life, how has your relationship with time changed throughout these different chapters as you’ve moved from professional athlete to

working at a bar to trainer to storyteller and all of the above.

Lou (08:00.142)
To be honest, I really didn’t look at it in a timeframe. It was, I was just going with where it was my soul, my heart, and like my passion was. I didn’t think about I need to be a manager by the age of 25 or 26. I need to be a personal trainer by the age of 27. I need to own my own gym by the age of 30. I didn’t have those stipulations on a timeline for me. So I didn’t really have that

stress or that pressure, it was really just going to flow. And once I realized, man, I’m really good at personal training. I’m really good with these client relationships. I’m really good at this. But also I love this and I care about this and I care about these people. I care about every single one of my clients that became my friends and that became like an extended family. So it was very easy in that to not even think about the time.

And was a lot of it is honestly kind of falling on faith too is like I’ll get to where I need to be when I need to be there. So as the years kind of passed, I could see small things coming in place where it was like, OK, I can seeping out of a bar. OK, now I’m full time. I’m rolling with fitness. And then the opportunity start to come. And it’s like, oh, I’m financially at a place where I can open my own studio and make this dream. Let’s just jump. Let’s just take this because.

What’s the worst thing that happens? I go back to working at a bar or I go back to working at a restaurant or I get a nine to five. It’s like just take the risk.

Jess Diamond (09:37.462)
Yeah. Have you always had the mentality around time of not feeling pressured? I think that’s something that I can relate to, but at the same time, I can’t because there is this background noise that is constantly like, but, but you’re running out, you’re running out of time in your 20s. Like you need to be doing all these things right now and then also prepare yourself for your 30s. And, I know I’m not alone when I have those thoughts, but also

I’ve made my leaps, I’ve made my big transitions. I’m very okay with the journey I’m on, even though there’s still this background noise. So have you ever had a point where you’ve had those thoughts come in your mind or do you think like your parents raised you to believe like, hey, no, you’re just gonna go through life on your own schedule and like, that’s okay. So, it’s not common to find someone to be like, yeah, I was…

Just, I wasn’t even thinking about time. It was just one thing into the next. But I want you to kind of go back into 20 something year old self and think what was going through his head. Did he have that same mentality? And if yes, where does that mentality stem from?

Lou (10:40.142)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Lou (10:50.633)
That, I I wouldn’t say no, it didn’t kind of come from my parents. At that time, I was very ingrained in the bar and nightlife career. But let’s take it back. We’re 2000s-ish, so like the earlier 2000s. So social media wasn’t what it is now. So as far as what I had to compare myself to,

was only the people around me. And a lot of the people that were around me were in the bar and restaurant industry and they were around my age. And we were able to, we had a vision of wanting to maybe own our own bar or own our own restaurant. And we were constantly working towards that. So again, I don’t feel like there was a lot of pressure and like just dealing with that. It wasn’t this thing that was kind of looming over my head as I have to get this done. Now,

I do think that there’s when you you see other people that are meeting a level of success that you might want to have or you’re comparing yourself in that situation. That always I think set on my thoughts, but. I’m kind of a competitor and I’m kind of I don’t want to say confident. I guess I’m hopeful and I’m like you know what it will work out. I just have to just keep working if I if I keep working towards what I wanted to happen and one of my closest friends said to me.

Do what you love, that you’d be willing to do it for free, but you’re so good at it, people wanna pay you. And that always stuck in the back of my mind. So I think that helped ease that sentiment of time, more so focusing on, you gotta find your passion. You gotta find what you wanna do and what makes you happy in that season, because seasons change. And as each year goes by, I think…

we kind of start to evolve on what’s important to us and what we like to do and where we’re at for, you know, in different phases. And you got to just go through that.

Jess Diamond (12:53.348)
Okay, so we can agree that social media is not helpful for the way we view our lives, but you made a very big change when social media is pretty relevant. that was, propped my mind of the timeline wrong. Was that two years ago that you sold your studio in Chicago and moved to Charlotte? Is that correct?

Lou (13:00.053)
Yeah.

Lou (13:15.342)
That was, I sold my studio in 2019 actually. So I sold.

Jess Diamond (13:21.02)
wow. Okay. So walk us through that timeline. Because I would say that’s yes, when you were in your 20s, social media wasn’t really happening. I mean, my space was, but maybe the start of Facebook. Well, Facebook, but even still, it’s definitely not what it is today. It is everywhere today. And you made this transition while it was still like your most recent transition was while

Lou (13:33.934)
think my space was gone at that point in time. I was like, ugh.

Jess Diamond (13:50.34)
social media was reaching its peak and I’d say it’s still peaking. So what was going on in 2019 and what was going on in your mind, what was going on in your life? How did you make this decision to sell your baby, to leave that and follow a new path?

Lou (14:06.371)
Yeah.

Lou (14:11.182)
That was a decision that came on. It was hard to make that decision, if you’re anybody who’s in the fitness industry, you understand that feeling of I can’t take time off. Cause if I’m not at the gym, if I’m not teaching classes, I’m not in front of my clients, I’m not paying my bills. So taking a week off or something is really, really difficult.

And not to mention like you don’t have benefits or you don’t have any like all that stuff is coming out of your revenue. You lose a client, you lose two or three clients. You’re in that that kind of nervous space to find two or three more new clients to fill those spots. And it was hit a point where I was just tired of that. And I was I was tired of that type of pressure. And I wanted something a little bit more comfortable, something a little more consistent where that

I could just kind of keep moving. I could still dabble in that aspect. I could still train clients and get the feels from helping somebody reach their goal without the pressures of having to keep these people, having to keep these clients, having to keep these friends coming to me to pay my bills. And the other part of that would be taking a step back and saying, okay, I made a goal.

I want to be an entrepreneur. want to own my own gym. And I said that in 2010 when I first started personal training. So now nine years later, I got my gym. I’ve done it. I’ve done all I want to do with this. There’s nothing wrong with stepping away from it. I can always come back to it. I can always take clients as if I want. I can teach classes. I still have that ability, that knowledge. So it was kind of like a closing of a chapter. I did it.

And I realized for that moment, I set a goal, I succeeded, you can move on. And that gave me so much peace.

Jess Diamond (16:10.936)
Okay, so six years later, where are you at now?

Lou (16:16.104)
question. I’m at this place of, I guess I should say one more thing, I am a person who always likes to grow, evolve. I want to learn more. I’m always looking to take that next step forward in what I’m doing where I’m at. Good and bad, that’s a good thing and often a bad thing. But six years later, I’m growing my videography skillset.

business. I think one of the biggest things and the scariest things I’ve ever done in my life that I can think of right now is leaving Chicago to come to Charlotte. But it’s also been one of the most profound and amazing business opportunities I’ve ever had. Since coming to Charlotte, the relationship that I built with Hive and Bryce in there, who gave me, I literally walked in there, I think I had worked out there three or four times, I walked right up to him and said, hey,

do have a videographer?” And he’s like, I’m looking for one. I was like, well, you’ve met him. I’m Luke. And it’s just been an amazing relationship from that point on. The entire time I’ve been here and the people I’ve met, it’s always coming up on videography and people are always so wonderful to give me other opportunities versus, you know, refer me to their friends. And the level at which I’ve been able to grow in Charlotte in these two years has quadrupled.

compared to what I was doing in Chicago, specifically in video. So it’s been a fast increase over the last two years of just being here in Charlotte.

Jess Diamond (17:54.168)
Yeah, I definitely agree that sometimes you need an entirely new location to go after a new dream. And from what it sounds like, does not surprise me is like you took the initiative. You went up to Bryson, which he’s manager at Hive, which the gym that Lou belongs to and I work out for those of you listening who do not know what high fitness is, but we love high fitness and.

You didn’t have to do that. You didn’t, you could have just been a member, walked in, did your workout, walked out day in and day out. And there’s a lot of people that do that, but you didn’t, you were like, you wanted to grow this dream of yours. So you took that initiative and did something about it. And then here you are is like, you’re meeting so many people at Hive. You’re part of the staff, you’re loved by all. if you were still in Chicago, I know like this is a big if.

You probably wouldn’t be where you’re at now developing your videography business solely because Chicago hold a different chapter of your life. And this was something new. That’s exactly why I moved from Orlando to Charlotte. I felt very stuck in Orlando. The pandemic made me feel even more trapped. And I knew that I wanted to pursue my own business. And I did not think I could do that while I was still there because of what Orlando held for me. didn’t I wasn’t miserable living there. I could have I could have done all right.

But I feel like when it comes to finding a gym to work at, when it comes to meeting new people, going out of my shell and my environment and just going out on a limb, I needed a new place. And that place for both of us was Charlotte.

Lou (19:32.856)
Yep. There was a other, the other aspect to like specifically high in fitness communities in general, coming from that, that world, you know, after I closed my gym down, did work at a big box gym in Chicago. and I actually was a manager at a smaller 24 hour gym. coming to, to Charlotte, I knew that I was going to find my people.

at a gym and I want to have a community at a gym. So if it wasn’t walking up to Bryson and asking for this opportunity for video, it meant a lot to me to meet you and to meet the different trainers and to talk to members as annoying as it might be if I’m talking to you at the gym. I just love to have that sense of community in wherever I’m spending an important part of my life and that is fitness. It’s a lifestyle. So I want to know, you know, I want to know who’s going to

who’s putting their weight to who can spot me and who I can help out or get some insight from. love to ask questions. I talk to you all the time about what do you think about this exercise or how would you improve this or you you get great insight on movements and it’s like, ooh, I didn’t think about it like that. And I just love that about a good fitness community when even though I have experience in it, I love hearing what you have to say about it. Cause it might click for me different. I’m like, ooh, I didn’t think of it like that. So that was just a…

huge part of also coming to Charlotte like I need to ingrain myself in this somehow.

Jess Diamond (21:06.532)
Yeah, and I’d say everyone needs community. I’ve done so many episodes on making friends and building community. And it starts with what do you enjoy? And it’s like, you and I both enjoy fitness. Okay, what’s the next step from there? It’s actually talking to the people at the gym and not, and cause I know, I mean, my boyfriend for the first five years of him attending, going to Hive, Hive has only been open for like five and a half years at this point.

Lou (21:21.549)
Yeah.

Lou (21:32.098)
years.

Jess Diamond (21:33.836)
He’s one of the original members. First five years before he met me, I take all the credit for this. He was the person that would go in, do his workout, leave, not talk to a soul. He meets me, not at the gym, and I introduce him to everybody. And it’s like now he’s making friends on his own. It broke him out. It’s like he gets to build his community. if you’re there anyways, so are the people around you. You already have one major component of your life in common. Strike up a conversation.

Easiest way to do that is what I tell for my more introverted clients and friends is because I’m an introvert is work out with one headphone or no headphones. Yes, you can do it. I promise. Yeah. One headphone, see still music in or none and let people approach you. If you’re, if you have a hood on or a hat on and giant headphones, people aren’t going to come up to you. They’re going to feel like they’re very much interrupting your workout and that you’re being serious with where you’re at. And that

Lou (22:09.486)
See you.

Lou (22:14.19)
Crazy.

Jess Diamond (22:32.036)
That definitely can be the case, but I definitely say there’s times where you’re at the gym where it’s not that serious of a workout, where you’re there, you’re doing your reps, but it’s also nice to have people to talk to in between. I mean, yesterday, at the time of us recording this, I saw a friend in the morning and I was like, he doesn’t look happy, like something’s wrong.

I didn’t say much. honestly made fun of him because that’s our friendship. But I was like, look, I just kept thinking about it. I like, it probably was not the day to make a jab at him. And then I went back for an evening client and I saw him again. And anyone who goes to the gym knows that you go twice in one day, you are fighting some demons. And so I just walk over to him. He was on the floor. I told him to stand up and I just gave him a hug.

Lou (23:15.03)
You

Jess Diamond (23:23.972)
And it was like, he needed that hug. And he even said it. He was like, you’re going to make me cry in front of all these people. And it was like, but this is, this is community. This is family. We’re not just, we don’t just make jabs at each other all the time. We actually care for one another. There’s relationships that get built through this gym. And it’s those relationships that make any of these types of transitions easier to handle and to maintain and to grow. it’s now you have people supporting you and

asking you, referring for you, like all of the things that are helpful that you’re just going in being like, I want community. And then all of these things happen for you as a result of you wanting that one special thing of just a sense of belonging.

Lou (24:06.488)
Yep. And I think that some people don’t realize how much you can get from a gym community and meeting people at the gym. I think of gym as going to the gym. I remember there’s times I was going through stuff and just like that member, you know,

Working out hard and pushing my body to a point where it was going to break down, helping me get over stuff and deal with things. know, many times when I was working out and I would pause and I had moments of tears. One of the biggest times was when I ruptured my patellar tendon and coming back from that was so challenging. You know, when you go from being a do all these things and then you can’t even lift your leg up. So.

And I think that it helps give lot of people that out. So much respect to the gentleman that doubled down knowing, hey, I need this second time to get some other demons out. And I also believe that a lot of times, you know, people, I’m an introvert like you. I’m actually an introvert except in the gym. And it’s so interesting to see how the different personalities of people are. Had big headphones, hats on, hat low.

But as soon as you break that, one moment of conversation, hey, can I jump in the set with you? Or hey, can you spot me? It’s like, boom, everything changes. And now you kind of have this relationship where you can walk in and high five somebody or tap somebody up. it’s like, every interaction doesn’t have to be a full blown conversation. But it’s nice to able to say, hey, what’s up, man? How you doing? I’m good. I like that shirt. What is that? Lulu Limit? man.

And I love that. Or you just have that little connection. so I love how that builds on the small things.

Jess Diamond (25:59.276)
Yeah, I want to go back on topic because we did make a tangent, but it was a good tangent. And it was because you you mentioned something a couple of minutes ago, say when you said moving to Charlotte is one of the scariest things you did. Why was it so scary?

Lou (26:03.886)
you

Lou (26:17.268)
Because Chicago is, I am Chicago, born, raised, you know, I went to high school outside of Chicago, grew up there. I had more time in Chicago than I did in the suburbs, you know, growing up and leaving all those friends, all those people, all those connections, being able to walk into restaurants and you know people. I could call somebody if I needed something. I knew my list of people I could call on and they’d be there.

No, doesn’t matter what time it was. I have great friends and that was scary to leave. But also it was that point that was kind of bubbling up that I knew I needed. I needed change and it was hard to leave friends, but I knew that like I needed something different and it was something was missing. So coming to Charlotte was like this is. This seems to be the right thing, and honestly, when when God puts things in order.

and it lines up and it’s undeniable. It’s really hard to be like, nah, I’m not going to do it. You know, there were so many things that stacked up that said the car I’ve laid the carpet down. I put everything out here for you. There’s no reason for you not to go. And again, if it doesn’t work out, can always come back home. And I think that that’s just one thing that in

Anytime, know, in your 20s, getting it going in your 30s, in your 30s, you can always go back. Like my wife often has a hard thing with like change and if people have a fear of change or aren’t good with change, it’s just simple to try to focus on the fact you can always go back to anything that you start. And who cares if you try something and fail?

Go back to what you like and it’s always fun.

Jess Diamond (28:21.572)
Yeah, I mean, that’s a message I always preach as well, because it’s people ask like, how did you leave your corporate job at on my 25th birthday, like at 25 years old? How did you just go and do that? And I was like, well, I had a dream. I planned for it. My audience has heard me tell the story all the time. But at the end of the day, I knew worst case, I could go back and be an interior designer again. Even then, knowing what I know now.

Worst case, could just go get whatever other job I want. It doesn’t even have to be interior design. Cause like you don’t have to go even back to where you were. You can explore something new, a different avenue. It’s like, okay, that didn’t work. Evaluate why it didn’t work. What do you want next? Or what do you want out of this next chapter of your life? To your point of like, we’re always in different seasons, different chapters. there’s something that’s going to support you right now that’s not going to support you in five years. And that’s okay.

what do want right now? And what’s gonna help you get there? And what’s gonna help you get there is that mentality of if it doesn’t work out, you at least know what’s not gonna work for you. And you can go back to the drawing boards and get that stability under your belt again, and then go out and take those new risks. mean, it’s the whole reason, it’s the bulk of what I do with coaching with the 20 somethings is…

we build that solid foundation of your mental state, your health, your financials, your part of your nutrition, like all of that comes into play because that’s what’s going to carry you through the really scary times. It’s what makes you more resilient to change when you have your routine dialed in, when you know how to take care of yourself, when you have these healthy coping mechanisms, because no matter what, I mean, there’s a saying I’m going to just say like change is

the only constant. You can expect change. No matter what life is going to change, whether you want it to happen or don’t, whether it’s expected and planned or just completely your life is on fire for a hot minute. You need to know how to be able to handle it. And it’s not knowing how to handle that exact moment of change, because you’re never going to know that. But it’s knowing what’s going to carry you through those moments. And that’s your stability. That’s your solid foundation.

Lou (30:36.718)
Yeah, so true. I couldn’t put it better myself. I completely agree.

Jess Diamond (30:43.172)
Yeah. So I like that you knew is like, hey, I had this calling and I wanted to see it through. Something was missing, which I want to ask what that something was. But you knew that something was missing. I’m going to go pursue this. And worst case, I can always go back. I can always move back to Chicago. I can always pick back up where I left off. I can always stay on a friend’s couch in Chicago. It does not. It’s OK. I will be OK. I also say everything is figure outable because that’s also a reminder we need to have.

Lou (31:11.436)
Yeah.

Jess Diamond (31:13.294)
So back to you is you said you felt like something was missing. You’ve been here for two years. Have you discovered what that something is?

Lou (31:24.526)
That’s tough. I Want to take a step back to something you said? When you said you we were talking about you can always go back But then you don’t always have to go back to that same thing and I think that’s what’s so amazing about life about being 20 something is

that if you’re gonna focus, if you’re feeling the stress of time, or you’re starting to feel like I need to be married by 28, I need to be having kids by 30, blah, blah, blah. One of the…

One of the things that you overlook, I think a lot of people overlook in their 20s is each time you’re doing something that’s adding another notch to your belt, you’re adding something more onto your hand belt. So you could do interior design for two, three, four years and then evolve into fitness. And then you might actually find a career that you never would have thought a job title that allows you to do both.

you know, something I don’t know how you would merge interior design and fitness. Maybe it’s like designing gyms, but then.

Jess Diamond (32:29.636)
I was told that while I was in school still, I like, you should design gems. I was like, oh, I should. it just, the opportunity never came my way. Not saying it never will, but it has not yet. It never did while I was fully pursuing that career path.

Lou (32:46.926)
I mean, there’s, you know, if you really you wouldn’t have put those two together if they get in the conversation or, you know, I actually had a conversation with one of the members and she was looking at changing her complete direction, wanting to do something completely different. And it was a similar conversation of, OK, put down what you love. You you said you had a dream, you know, and I think we kind of agree it like I had something a similar calling it that dream that wants to do something different. So if if.

It doesn’t come to somebody like an epiphany, taking down those notes and jotting down what you love to do and what you hate to do, and then figuring it out from there, you know, and just going forward with it. I might be trying to avoid your question though, because I don’t think I found it. I don’t think I figured it out.

Jess Diamond (33:30.532)
Okay, that’s fine. That’s okay. You’re still exploring it. That’s fine. I get asked all the time. Or I guess I don’t even get asked. I get told, well, you’re so lucky. Like you found this hack. Like you went and like created it for yourself. it’s like, lucky, yes. But like I stumbled into personal training, which then eventually led me to coaching. wasn’t…

Lou (33:34.41)
You

Lou (33:42.414)
you

Jess Diamond (33:56.1)
I didn’t go into my personal training certification with the mindset of I’m going to become a personal trainer and this is going to be my career path and that’s what I’m going to do with my life. No, I went into it because to your point, like I had an interest in working out. Always had, like people would always come to me and like, I want to work out with you. And I’m like, great. I didn’t know what I was doing. So I was like, let me learn. Let me learn how to work out better. What? And then like, maybe something will come of it. Maybe something won’t, who knows? And it just so happens.

As to your point of the universe, I say universe. The universe is like, hey, right here. Putting this in your lap, you should pursue this path. And I did. I mean, that was five years ago. So here we are. It’s like five years later, and I’m still doing that. But I didn’t know five years ago when I started that certification in May of 2020. It was five years ago. We’re recording this in May right now. So this won’t come out for like another month.

Lou (34:53.218)
haha

Jess Diamond (34:54.052)
But like we’re recording this right now is I didn’t know five years ago that this is where I would be right now There’s no way for you to predict that you can’t you you’re not a psychic You’re not a fortune teller if you don’t know what’s going to happen So you might as well take action from a place that feels good for you while also carrying that mindset as the theme of this episode that You’re not going to run out of time. You’re in your 20s and there’s

so many opportunities down the line that you can’t even begin to imagine for yourself that’s going to either force you to pivot or you’re going to want to pivot for yourself.

Lou (35:31.886)
I have always admired the person who went to school for what they want to do. They graduated and they went in and worked doing what they want to do. My college roommate, he went to school for finance, got his degree in finance, accounting, works in accounting, works in finance and has been doing that forever. And he’s great at it and he’s happy doing it.

I’m just not that personality type completely. The only through line would probably be marketing of some sort of creativity aspect of it. So I admire those people and I think it’s to have that specific direction. And if you do great and if you don’t just…

Try enjoy the process of adding those other things and trying those things out and kind of Paving the way as you go because there’s nothing wrong with that especially and I know the main focus is to kind of discuss like timeline and how that feels for for 20 somethingers Because even at 29 going on 30 you still have so much time It’s an abundant amount of time You in your 30s you got time

in 40s, you have time. I have one of my best friends who’s 47 years old. He’s going back to school, back to school for to get his master’s degree. My sister, and this might be the key variable that really helped me not feel the pressure of time. After I graduated, my sister’s nine years older than me. She went

back to school for biology. She started school for something else, but to go back and start all the way over, she was in her mid-30s, early 30s, mid-early 30s, starting all over, and she got her degree and her master’s and is killing it. So looking at my sister, I’m like, you went back to school when?

Lou (37:43.928)
Yeah, no rest. I’ll get to where I’m gonna get to. So I think that helped out.

Jess Diamond (37:49.366)
Yeah, and I can agree that there’s definitely the people that knew what they wanted to go to school for, went to school for it and have a career with it. But I also know that there is a whole other half that got a degree in something that they were interested in or someone maybe their parents told them like, hey, you should do this. I mean, I know for me, it was my mom told me, hey, you should be an interior designer. Very left field kind of option if anyone knew me. But it happened. But there’s the people that pick that degree. They

go to school, they graduate, they start working and they continue in that path, but they’re not actually satisfied with the path that they’re on. They just don’t know how to change directions or they’re too scared to, or they feel like they don’t have enough time to start over. like, think a big, big fear I hate or not I hate, not even a fear. Something I hear a lot from clients is that,

they are either afraid to waste time or they’re afraid that they already wasted time. So I’ll give an example of even, I had a client I worked with last year and she came to me because she was just nothing was working well with her. She’s like, I wanna move, I wanna change careers, I wanna do, like I want, she wanted to throw her whole life upside down. And we kind of doubted back of what was really going on, but she was 30 and she had that thought of

Lou (38:50.862)
Mm-hmm.

Jess Diamond (39:16.566)
If I move cities again, I just wasted all this time in this wrong city, the quote unquote, the wrong city. And there is a lot of that mentality, whether it is about career or location or relationships of feeling like you already put in this time and energy and effort, and it’s all going to go to waste. So I like to come in and invite that the mindset, the reframe of you’re not

Lou (39:38.542)
Mm-hmm.

Jess Diamond (39:44.554)
ever really coming to a point where you’re fully starting over. You’re always starting from somewhere. It’s not completely from scratch. We said this before, you have the knowledge, you have what not to do, you have what you don’t like, you get to figure out what you do like. And that’s not gonna happen the first time out. You’re new to this adulting thing. It takes time. Some people get lucky, yes. But they’re the exception, not the rule. And you have to remember that.

Lou (39:48.387)
Hmm.

Lou (39:59.01)
Mm-hmm.

Lou (40:13.582)
I think that’s so important is understanding like like you said the exception and not the rule and It’s so difficult when you’re comparing and also depending on how you grew up because a lot of people grew up and their parents Went to school for this and they’re taught that you know What you go to school for is what you got to work in you got to stay in it and you got to grind it out and like that’s just how You know some of that is rooted but it’s you have to be

willing to break away from that. And that’s, I think, one of the first steps. I agree with what you told your client. You’re never wasting time. It’s never a waste of time because you’re getting something from that experience. I remember the first job I had was the worst job you could ever have. Telemarketing, awful, awful. But what I learned from that time that I spent there is I don’t like telemarketing.

I don’t like this aspect. I don’t like closing sales. I don’t like these things. And I learned that about myself that if I didn’t have that experience, I would have never known or I would have found that out later in life. So I’ve learned that early on. And I think a lot of people should consider that it’s not a waste of time because there is something that you get from every situation. And just thinking about, this how’s this going to help me?

and realizing that you can apply that to your next step, whatever it is, there’s something you can apply. Dealing with people, it could be as simple as, I’ve worked in office, I can’t stand people, now I know I need to work remote.

Jess Diamond (41:55.382)
Yeah, no, it’s exactly right. I mean, I had even I hated my first job out of school. But what I what I really love about the work that I do with coaching is every, every shitty experience I have had, I am able to then put it into a system and relate it to a client. So the hating the first job that I had, I had in my head, what I would like from my job, what

type of design I wanted to do, where I wanted to live. Like I had those things in mind and it all went out the window because I could not land a job. So I took the first one that gave me an offer and it, that first job had absolutely nothing that was on my list. And now one of the first things I do, if someone comes to me with help with their career is we create a non-negotiables list. And it’s like, you do not accept a job that does not hit your core non-negotiables.

Lou (42:47.64)
Yeah.

Jess Diamond (42:53.988)
I say like, don’t have more than five, because then you’re just being really picky at that point. But like, there are definitely three to five that you know for a fact, you will not be happy at a job if you accept it. It does not matter how long you’ve been unemployed, how miserable you are, whatever the case is, is you don’t want to make a change and be in a worse position, because then you are going to be in that feeling of you wasted time. You made a mistake. You fucked up. And now you’re back to square one with that job search again. Like, I’ve had so many of these conversations and it’s…

based off of my own experience. I lasted six months at that job before I was like, I need a new one. And then a month later, I lost that job due to pandemic. So all of my bad experiences have made me really good at what I do because it’s able to help them. But it’s also because I’ve learned from what I’ve experienced, I’m then able to have my clients learn from their own experiences.

Lou (43:48.558)
Yes. I also, think that a a very, very scary part of changing directions along with like the timeline on that is money. Is the fear of starting over that you have to start at an entry level or you’re leaving a really good paying job that you don’t like and you don’t want to take the, a of don’t want to take that lateral move or take that step back.

Jess Diamond (44:01.828)
Mm-hmm.

Lou (44:16.846)
But I’ve always, I’ve learned and have come to realize and accept that sometimes taking that step back allows you to take a jump forward. And that is one thing that I’ve done in each one of the times I’ve changed. It was either a lateral movement or a step back where maybe I sacrificed a little bit of pay, but I was doing what I like to do. And again,

just putting time and effort in it and I enjoyed being there, I enjoyed doing it. So then I was good at it. So then it quickly caught back up to where I was making more money and I was happy and I was enjoying what I was doing. I was being fulfilled emotionally, mentally and then financially. So I think that’s one thing just don’t get caught up in the potential money you’re not, you that you could lose if you change directions or change careers, because it will come back. It will come back.

Jess Diamond (45:10.404)
Yeah, it’s time and energy are not well energy is kind of renewable but time and energy are not renewable money is and I tell people is like money money is important We need it to survive. We need it to buy things. We need to have a life But money isn’t everything and if you’re only chasing the dollar you’re gonna live a very sad life

Lou (45:17.261)
Hmm.

Lou (45:30.126)
Yep. Yep.

Jess Diamond (45:32.036)
All right, I have one more question for you and then I have some rapid fire ones that I want to ask. So my last question before we go into rapid fire is do you think the idea of a timeline, so graduation, getting a job, getting married, having kid, buying a house, just any timeline for in your 20s to early 30s, do you think that idea is helpful or harmful and why?

Lou (45:59.735)
I think.

think it’s a gray area. It’s good to have a general timeline of what you would like to accomplish, but don’t stick so strictly to that timeline that it causes pressure for you. And understanding that your story isn’t going to be the same as everybody else’s story. So your timeline isn’t going to match my else’s timeline. So I think that putting together the idea of, I would like to have

a full-time job in a career that I like by the age of 25. That’s healthy. What’s saying I want to make six figures. I want to have a house. I want to have a boyfriend or a girlfriend and be engaged by 25 and have this job and this, this, and this. It’s like, whoa, like pace it out a little bit. Maybe there’s one hard thing that you want to shoot for, but if you don’t achieve it at that time, at that goal, it’s okay to push that milestone back. Try not to…

We have enough pressure on ourselves right now. We don’t need to add more pressure to ourselves. So I think it’s good to have a general idea, but don’t stick too closely to the time.

Jess Diamond (47:12.534)
I can agree. think it’s similar to goals of don’t be married to the outcome, but without having that goal, that timeline in mind, you’re not going to take action. So it gives you something to pursue and it gives you a reason to take action behind something that you want for yourself that you probably would not have otherwise taken had you not had that in mind. So have the timeline, but don’t be married to the outcome of it or the exactness of it, specifics.

Lou (47:15.438)
Peace.

Lou (47:42.262)
Enjoy the journey, right? That’s what they say. Enjoy the journey.

Jess Diamond (47:43.852)
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Are you ready for rapid fire? I’ve never done this before. So you’re my first guest that I’m three rapid fire questions.

Lou (47:53.698)
told you I was already nervous. Now you’re gonna, I’m the guinea pig for the rapid fire. Okay, hold on. Let me get some.

Jess Diamond (47:58.53)
Yes.

Lou (48:02.158)
A little caffeine, that makes I’m ready. Yep.

Jess Diamond (48:03.724)
Okay, you ready? All right, first one. What is one thing you didn’t do in your 20s that you’re glad you waited on?

Lou (48:14.35)
to open a business.

Jess Diamond (48:16.036)
Ooh, okay. You want to explain or you just want to give that answer? Oh, I think they are, but like, I kind of want to know. I opened a business at 25, so.

Lou (48:19.596)
I was wrapping part like I had.

Lou (48:26.318)
You know, I’m glad that I waited because I learned so much from other people. And if I would have opened the initial business that I want to open would have been in the bar and nightlife industry. I probably, I don’t know where my level of happiness is. Relationships and friendships would have been, I missed a lot of, a lot of important days because of that nightlife. And I think if I would have rushed it, I wouldn’t have been happy there. Maybe if I had started fitness earlier and I opened my own gym, that’d have been different.

But again, social media isn’t what it is now and some opportunities aren’t there. So if I was in my 20s now, that might not apply. But then I’m happy I waited.

Jess Diamond (49:07.02)
Okay, all right, second one. Give us one timeline myth you want to set on fire.

Lou (49:12.718)
One time, anything with marriage. Any timeline myth with marriage and kids like that, burn it up. Don’t, because that I feel like puts so much stress on people and a lot of friends of mine that are women have that timeline of like you want to have kids and that is just, I’m 28, I’m not in relationship, I’m 29, I’m 30, I’m 32 and then it’s like now they’re feeling that pressure of having.

getting married, having a kid, and I think that can open up doors to very unhealthy relationships and being with somebody that sucks and is not good for you. So any relationship type of thing, kick that to the curb, take your time, find that person that’s cool, that vibes with you, you like being around, and let it just happen at a comfortable pace.

Jess Diamond (50:06.168)
Yeah, I will say not to out my mom on this, she listens to this, but my mom married my dad. Lou says hi. My mom married my dad to have kids. That was the main reason. And then they divorced after five years of being together. So it didn’t bode well, but like she did go into it. She was like, liked his eyes and he had good genetics. So I had kids with him. We’re saying don’t do that. If you actually.

Lou (50:11.086)
I’m not.

Jess Diamond (50:34.85)
Unless you want to be a single mom, because that’s kind of where that leads to. speaking from personal experience of growing up with a single mom, just saying, I can agree. I think there it is hard having a biological clock, because that is something you can’t control. And it is going to be something that’s in the back of your mind if you’re someone that is dying to have kids of your own and you want a family and you don’t want to adopt or go through any like

Any type of treatment where you would have the kid on your own. I’m blanking on the name, but it is it is hard. I see it with people all the time. I mean, I have friends that are in their mid to late 30s and they’re single. They’re not married and they’re like, I want kids though. And they’re stressed and I it makes sense. All right. Last one.

Lou (51:20.59)
I gotta say this, your mom’s decision was pretty good though, because you’re pretty awesome and you’re pretty amazing. So good job, mom, on that. And we thank you for giving us this amazing person.

Jess Diamond (51:28.718)
Thank

Jess Diamond (51:33.508)
Alright, we don’t need to kiss her ass. So last one is finish the sentence. Time is on your side, especially when you…

Lou (51:47.758)
Time is on your side, when you a goal that is something you are truly passionate about.

Jess Diamond (52:01.292)
I like it. Amazing. This was so great, Lou. I’m glad that I got to have you on How to 20 something. Where can people find you if they want to connect with you or follow your journey or see your video productions?

Lou (52:14.67)
Instagram would be the best way to follow me right now. It is the Lou Smith. Very simple, kind of annoying, the Lou Smith. But yeah, that’s the best way to follow me and I would love anybody who would like to join along for that journey. I’m looking forward to adding another chapter to that journey. So the story is just beginning.

Jess Diamond (52:35.982)
Yes, it is, because time is on your side. But his information will be linked in the show notes for you guys to access as soon as possible, per usual. Otherwise, this does conclude another episode of How to 20 something. If you liked what you heard, if you’re feeling a little better about your relationship to time, or know someone who needs that reminder that they can slow down and stop and smell the flowers.

Lou (52:40.18)
on your side.

Jess Diamond (53:02.296)
then please share this episode, send it to a friend, post on social media, just do something to help me help all of those 20-somethings who feel like they’re losing that race against time. And as always, I can’t wait to be in your headphones again next week with another brand new episode.