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Optimize Yourself

Optimize Yourself

Written by: Zack Arnold
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About this listen

Built by creative professionals for creative professionals, at Optimize Yourself we believe it is absolutely possible to love what you do for a living…without having to sacrifice your health, relationships, or sanity in the process. Creative burnout is NOT inevitable!In a nutshell this podcast is a combination of Tim Ferriss meets Ted Lasso (minus the mustache). Hosted by Zack Arnold (ACE) - an award-winning Hollywood editor, producer, and director, a career coach, an American Ninja Warrior, and most importantly a father - these raw, honest, and candid conversations will both provide you with the necessary tools to optimize your creative potential as well as inspiring you to believe that you can.Whether it’s American Ninja Warrior superstar Jessie Graff (Zack’s ninja trainer), P90X creator Tony Horton (Zack’s fitness trainer), or Ramit Sethi (Zack’s business mentor)...or perhaps industry legends such as Walter Murch, Jeffrey Ford, Roger Barton, or Eddie Hamilton…or productivity gurus such as David Allen (GTD), Cal Newport (Deep Work), or James Clear (Atomic Habits),…we’ll provide you with the strategies, resources, and mindsets to help you design a clear path towards the more balanced, more productive, and more fulfilling life you deserve.

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Episodes
  • Feel like you're always behind and never enough? Blame work-life "balance."
    Jan 16 2026

    I’m doubling down on the live grenade I tossed into the room when I said work-life balance is bullshit, and in this mini-episode I unpack why building our work around our lives still doesn’t mean balance is the answer. I share why the pursuit of work-life balance only leads to guilt, why in our hyper-connected, post-pandemic hellscape it’s not just futile but meaningless, and how chasing equal time between work and life can leave us miserable. I also dig into the shift that changed everything for me after reading Four Thousand Weeks, why I’m no longer interested in balance but fulfillment, and how embracing a conscious, strategic imbalance might be the only way to create meaningful work, be at peace with how I spend my time, and avoid wasting these four thousand weeks.


    All that in more in my latest Substack → Feel like you're always behind and never enough? Blame work-life "balance."


    When you're done, I'd love your thoughts here in the comments!



    Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-zack-arnold-podcast/exclusive-content
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    10 mins
  • When setting goals triggers an existential crisis
    Jan 14 2026

    What happens when the simple question “What do you want to achieve this year? And why?” leads to an existential crisis?

    In this mini-episode, we pull back the curtain on why setting goals feels harder than ever, why most people aren’t at peace with how they’re spending their time, and how the endless chase for more money, more time, and more balance quietly keeps us stuck. We tease a simpler, more honest way to ask the goals question, unpack why “work-life balance” might be the wrong thing to pursue altogether, and set the stage for the mindset shift that can finally help you stop spinning in circles and feel at peace with your time.


    All that in more in my latest Substack → When setting goals triggers an existential crisis

    When you're done, I'd love your thoughts here in the comments!



    Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-zack-arnold-podcast/exclusive-content
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    7 mins
  • The crippling fear of never knowing what's "next"
    Jan 12 2026

    When uncertainty feels constant and exhausting, this episode explores how to ignore almost everything outside your control, accept that uncertainty is the only thing you can predict, and spend your limited time and energy on what actually matters. Using the GO FAR framework, we break down how clear and meaningful goals create focus when all hope seems lost, illustrated through a real Hot Seat coaching session where breaking big goals into tiny next steps transforms anxiety, restores clarity, and reveals exactly what to focus on next.


    All that in more in my latest Substack → The crippling fear of never knowing what's "next"

    When you're done, I'd love your thoughts here in the comments!


    If you enjoyed this article and you don't want to miss my future essays, my actionable insights, and my soapbox rants about navigating the world as analog humans in today's digital hellscape, make sure to subscribe at zackarnold.com/substack.



    Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-zack-arnold-podcast/exclusive-content
    Show More Show Less
    8 mins
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