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Having spoken to and worked with hundreds of people worldwide over the years, if there’s one constant to the ever-changing landscape of this age, it’s that the global pandemic has been a magnifying glass amplifying every tiny little detail about our lives (and society at large) that just wasn’t working. For many this intense awareness has been paralyzing while for others it’s been a motivating call to action.

So what’s the difference for those who feel stuck versus those who take action and see results?

Maybe you’re sick of being stuck on the wrong career path and feeling desperate to pursue your true passion, but you’re too afraid to take action because you’re waiting to “see how things work out?”

Maybe you’re anxious about work swallowing up what semblance of life you have outside your career…especially now that you’re stuck working from home?

Or maybe you are so overwhelmed about all the uncertainties and unknowns that you feel paralyzed and unable to focus on anything but just getting through another day. Yes, pandemic-induced procrastination is indeed a thing.

If any of these sound like you, I have three amazing guests on today’s show that know exactly how you feel. Ariel Fujita is an unscripted editor making the transition to colorist. Maxton Weller is a sound editor and composer for films and video games, and Kristi Shimek is an indie film editor transitioning to scripted television. This episode is a case study where I speak candidly with all three who are members of my 'Optimizer' coaching & mentorship community who have successfully navigated the challenges of being an introvert, who have battled the perfectionism that holds us back from accomplishing our goals, and who can relate to how imposter syndrome keeps us stuck in the wrong career path. And we discuss the strategies and methods they all implemented to work through these common pitfalls to feel confident and clear, not only about what they want in life but more importantly, how to actually live it. All three guests have recently completed my coaching & mentorship program, put in a lot of hard work, and have achieved amazing results…

...while, by the way, living through a global pandemic.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

The serendipitous timing of how Maxton ended up starting coaching with Zack when he needed it most.
The separate but eerily similar stories of how Ariel and Kristi both almost skipped Zack’s Networking for Introverts seminar because they were too shy and scared.
Why Ariel struggled with burnout and the mind-set shift she had to make to overcome the endless cycle.
KEY TAKEAWAY: Learning to ask the right questions will improve the quality of your life and the connections you make.
Why building confidence requires a deep dive into your psychology and your motivations.
The number one thing you need to get better at before you can even start networking.
How to stop waiting for focus to magically appear and instead learn to train it.
What you need to implement systems to improve time management and keep you accountable.
What a brain dump is and why doing it regularly will alleviate stress and anxiety.
Why doing a daily wrap up is essential for setting boundaries especially when working from home.
How Kristi got back her nights and weekends by setting expectations at the start of a job.
What Maxton’s IMDB spreadsheet revealed to him and how it led to a relationship with a composer he’s admired for years.
Maxton’s revelation about outreach emails: "It’s not IF people want to help you, it’s CAN they help you”
What transformed Kristi from being afraid to send outreach emails to doing it every single week and getting a 100% response rate.
The magic formula to writing successful outreach emails.
The Ben Franklin Effect: what it is and how it helps you build relationships.
Maxton’s advice: Don’t wait to see what happens. Take action.
Ariels’ advice: Why not do the scariest thing at the scariest time to get where you want to be.

Useful Resources Mentioned:

Enroll in the ‘Optimizer’ Coaching & Mentorship program

'Insider's Guide to Writing Great Outreach Emails'

The Ben Franklin Effect

Continue To Listen & Learn:

Want a Response to Your Cold Emails? Then Every Message MUST Do These 5 Things

The 5 Most Common Mistakes You’re Making With Your Cold Emails (and How to Fix Them)

Why Writing Cold Emails Is the Most Important ‘Soft Skill’ You Must Master (Especially If You’re An Introvert)

Ep64: [CASE STUDY] Overcoming Burnout and Imposter Syndrome | with Chryss Terry

[CASE STUDY] Why I Said No to a Job (A Great One)…During a Pandemic

Ep47: The Ugly Side of Depression, Burnout, and Imposter Syndrome | with Gen Malone

Guest Bios:

Ariel Fujita bio photo Ariel Fujita

Ariel Fujita is an editor with 15 years of experience in unscripted post production television. She got her start as a Post Production Assistant and has taken on many different roles throughout her career: Post Production Coordinator, Assistant Editor, Off-line editor, and On-line Editor. Ariel’s editing credits include Are You The One? (MTV), America’s Next Top Model (VH1), and Last Call With Carson Daly (NBC).

After working primarily in off-line post production, she has recently made the transition to on-line editing and she hopes to eventually pursue a career as a colorist for scripted television and independent films.

Ariel lives in Los Angeles with her wife and their five cats. When she’s not working, she enjoys watching horror films and she makes a killer mac and cheese.

Kristi Shimek bio photo Kristi Shimek

Kristi Shimek is a Los Angeles based Film and Television Editor. Within her first year of moving to Hollywood, she was cutting indie features in the LA circuit with stars such as Lou Diamond Phillips, Danny Trejo, Lea Thompson, and Nicolas Cage.

Recently, Kristi has edited on two breakout feature film successes. The Night Clerk , a character based thriller directed by Michael Christofer (Original Sin, T he Witches of Eastwick ) and starring Tye Sheridan, Ana de Armas, and Helen Hunt, which reached #5 on Netflix’s Top Ten List in June 2020. And Inheritance, a narrative commentary on patriarchy and privilege directed by Vaughn Stein (Terminal) and starring Simon Pegg and Lily Collins, which was featured at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival.

In addition to films, Kristi has just finished editing on her first network television show, NEXT, a near-future tech based drama created and executive produced by Manny Coto and starring John Slattery, which is set to debut on October 6th on Fox.

Maxton Waller bio photo Maxton Waller

Maxton Waller is a composer and multi-instrumentalist living in Los Angeles, California with a formidable output and unparalleled work ethic. He has been writing and performing music professionally since the age of 10.

In 2007, he moved to Los Angeles and got his start in good old-fashioned rock and roll. After a few cross-country tours, he leapt to film/interactive and never looked back. You can hear his work across television and the internet; the Hulu Original Series “RocketJump: The Show”, Stan Lee’s animated series “Cosmic Crusaders”, Nickelodeon’s animated series “Rainbow Rangers”, and literally (not metaphorically) dozens of YouTube videos with views in the hundreds of millions.

In addition to this, Maxton has written songs placed in the Netflix Original Series “Marvel’s The Defenders”, CBS’ reboot of “MacGyver”, “Video Game High School”, “Sons of Anarchy”, The MLB network, and countless others.

He has studied at some of the greatest schools in the country; The Musician’s Institute and the Berklee College of Music. Maxton is highly-regarded for his deep understanding of audio, easy-going personality, and fast turnaround.

There’s a reason you’ll see the same studios hire him repeatedly - Maxton is a musical force of nature and he elevates every project he works on.

Show Credits:

This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared by Debby Germino and published by Glen McNiel.

The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).

[CASE STUDY] Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, Better Managing Your Time, And Making the Most of This Pandemic | with Ariel Fujita, Kristi Shimek, and Maxton Waller

The Zack Arnold Podcast