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Let's Ride w/ Paul Estrada

Let's Ride w/ Paul Estrada

Written by: Paul Estrada
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About this listen

Who else is trying to figure $hit out?

Welcome to Lets Ride w/ Paul Estrada – the podcast where a dad tackles the big questions of life, career, and everything in between, by talking to interesting people that have the answers!

When I turned 18, I lost sleep at night with questions that Google was not yet sophisticated enough to answer: What career should I pursue? How can I be more than just average? And how do successful people get to where they are (was there a secret handbook I didn't know about)? After 22 years of pondering these existential dilemmas, I’ve finally pieced together some answers – An answer that is sufficient for now, but one always in need of refinement.

Join me each week as my 6 ½ year old son, Adrian, throws out a thought-provoking question or idea, and I invite a guest to help me sufficiently respond to him. From learning about money and investing, to finding a passion in life, and exploring careers that can be meaningful for you, we cover it all with a dose of humor and some soundbites of wisdom.

So, if you’re a parent or a young adult navigating these tricky waters, or if you want confirmation that other people are sometimes just as lost as you, you’ve come to the right place.

© 2026 Let's Ride w/ Paul Estrada
Careers Economics Personal Success
Episodes
  • Motivational Speaker: Stop Chasing Titles, Start Becoming Your Best Self
    Dec 2 2025

    A simple moment—a kid feeling overwhelmed by second-grade responsibilities—opens the door to a bigger truth: life keeps asking more of us, and the way we answer shapes who we become. That set the stage for our conversation with Scharrell Jackson, a leader who turned “amazing” from a word into a way of living. From her rise through finance and operations to founding a leadership consulting firm, Scharrell shows why chasing titles is hollow and how becoming your best self pulls titles and opportunity toward you.

    We dig into the mindset and mechanics that make growth real. Scharrell breaks down the chain from thoughts to habits—how your self-talk becomes your behavior—and why an honest personal inventory is the first step to confidence. She shares the role of a small, trusted tribe that tells you the truth, and the discipline to study, ship, and negotiate from value. Her time as a single mom of three anchors it all: morning routines that set the tone, systems that replaced guilt, shared responsibility at home, and the hard choices that turned sacrifice into momentum.

    A stroke accelerated her pivot from the C-suite to entrepreneurship, sharpening her focus on impact over prestige. Scharrell is direct about what stops most people—fear and confusion—and how to move anyway. Build tools to act while afraid, get crystal clear on your end game, define the problem you solve, and prove your results. If you’ve felt stuck or unsure whether you’re “qualified,” this conversation offers both the inspiration and the blueprint: clarity, courage, consistency.

    If this resonated, share it with a friend who needs a push, subscribe for more thoughtful conversations, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—what’s your next brave step?

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    47 mins
  • Survivorman Les Stroud: The Difference Between Surviving & Living
    Nov 18 2025

    The cold is honest. That’s one of the first lessons Les Stroud shares as we dig into what real survival feels like when there’s no crew, no scripts, and no second takes. Beyond the legends of Survivorman, Les opens up about pain, boredom, and the quiet clarity that only arrives when you’re truly alone—and why those moments matter for anyone feeling stuck in a world of endless noise.

    We dive into the craft behind his solo expeditions: a full week learning from locals, absorbing edible plants and fire skills by passion, not by notes, and then deliberately trying new techniques on camera so the outcome stays real. From there, the conversation widens to what nature does to our minds and bodies. Les explains how time outside reduces stress, sharpens thinking, and heals, and how solitude can feel both awe-inspiring and cripplingly lonely. That tension becomes a mirror, exposing fragility and building humility.

    Fear shows up too, not as a roar but as laziness—the insidious kind that keeps you from starting. Les shares simple, physical resets to escape doomscrolling, plus a practical survival kit for modern life: breath work, a walk in the woods, and one small action completed before touching your feeds. We also talk late blooming, the joy of completion, and the timing of ideas, tracing the long path from an early concept to the right cultural moment for Survivorman. Along the way, we swap parenting stories about cultivating independence through calculated risks and letting kids learn by doing.

    If you’ve been craving focus, meaning, or just a reason to step outside, this conversation will nudge you there. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. Then take a breath, go for a walk, and tell us: what’s your wilderness?

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    45 mins
  • Sales Entrepreneur: Building, Losing, And Choosing Contentment
    Nov 4 2025

    What does it really take to walk away from a cushy six-figure job, sell your house, and bet on yourself? Marty joins me to share the unfiltered story of building a product company from scratch, finding his edge in trust-based sales, and staying centered when COVID and tariffs punched a hole in the balance sheet. He’s equal parts sharp operator and laid-back realist—someone who can talk Walmart buyers one day and laugh off stress the next.

    We start with responsibility learned at home and follow the thread into a career wake-up at thirty, when drifting turned into discovery. Marty realized sales was his natural lane—not by chasing commissions, but by building rapport, reading the room, and listening before pitching. He breaks down exactly how to earn trust, design win–win terms, and avoid the rookie mistake of giving away the house. Then we dive into product: how reviews, store visits, and packaging tweaks transform shelf conversion, why “great” beats “different,” and how to iterate faster than copycats. A single packaging change—making the product visible—flipped a laggard into a leader.

    Marty explains the mechanics of tariffs in plain English: a 30 percent hit due immediately at the port, while receivables lag for months. That mismatch crushes cash flow and forces hard choices on pricing. He survived by saving during strong years and choosing clarity over wishful thinking. There’s also a moment of grace: head down, doubting the plan, a $190,000 purchase order lands by fax and resets the trajectory. Through it all, he keeps returning to the point—money buys comfort, not contentment; the prize is freedom, not flash.

    If you’re an entrepreneur, seller, or builder chasing product-market fit, this is a masterclass in resilience, customer insight, and cash discipline. Hit play, subscribe, and share this with a friend who needs a nudge. And if the story resonated, leave a quick review—your words help more people find the show.

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    46 mins
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