G96. Artie Isaac

Finding Happiness by Focusing on Friends & Relationships with Artie Isaac

Artie Isaac is a renaissance man, a Vistage Chair with peer groups in Columbus and Dayton, an executive coach, a poet, a writer, even an actor. He has a rich wealth of life experience and it shows in his deep knowledge and connection to the things that actually matter in life. 

His attitude towards living intentionally through relationships is amazing to hear about, especially during a time of year where family serves such an important role to our mental and emotional wellbeing.

From a young age, he questioned everything, thanks to an upbringing of constantly being asked “why?” This quality turned him into a lateral thinker who’s been able to embrace all the aspects of his one-of-a-kind personality, as you’ll hear in his sense of humor, his penchant for dramatic departures, and his flair for blending creativity with business. 

One of his skills is identifying and analyzing personality types. We break down his Reichian character structure and how he sees it manifest in his own behavior. We also talk about the importance of humor – even in more serious situations – and how to acknowledge our privilege without acting as though it doesn’t exist.

Today, Artie’s attention is on building and bettering the relationships he has with those closest to him, be they loved ones or business partners. It’s an approach that’s led to an inspiring life of happiness and contentment. We could all use a little more Artie in our lives. 

What Brett asks:

  • [00:40] Let’s start at the beginning. 
  • [14:00] What kind of person were you when you were younger?
  • [20:00] How much of our personality is chosen or inherent? 
  • [25:20] Tell us about life as Artie in your college years.
  • [29:30] Could you get further by planning?
  • [33:40] What stands out to you between your first job and your current one?
  • [48:00] What made you realize you needed to make a change in life?
  • [51:40] What important work would you like to tell us about?
  • [57:00] What’s it like being so content with your life?

Lessons for intentional living:

  • Artie’s focus on those around him that make up his Dunbar’s number: loved ones, friends, business relationships, shows an incredible intentional way of living. He sees those around him as his focus, and every other part of his life shifts towards how to better serve them. This is a great spin on the sentiment that this very show is built on, strength and common growth for the community.
  • Artie has lived a life of questioning everything and it’s served him well. Just because he sees value in humor doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have reverence for things. His outside-the-box approach to not necessarily following the status quo is a huge part of why he is where he is in life.
  • Those of us with busy lives can often fall into a trap of planning out every last detail of our time. Artie acknowledges that he’s lucky to not have to plan, and that his is not the right approach for everyone. But even considering leaving more of life to chance can open doors we didn’t know existed.

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