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Lessons from a Quitter

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You should never stop reevaluating your career choices: How Phil Black went from Navy Seal to Harvard Business School to Firefighter and more

May 21, 2019

The path that many of us have been brought up to follow usually goes a little something like this: take the right classes, get the good grades, get into the prestigious school, graduate, and then find a high paying job. We're taught that it is a linear path that you stick to and climb to the top.
Well, in today's episode, Phil Black teaches us why you should buck that wisdom. Phil has one of the most interesting careers we've ever highlighted on this show. His story is a testament to following your curiosities and always re-evaluating what is most important. Among his many accomplishments, Phil played D1 collegiate basketball at Yale, worked as an investor at Goldman Sachs, was a Navy Seal Officer, went to Harvard Business School, is a firefighter, entrepreneur, father, and more.
While it wasn’t clear to him during his journey, he was gaining an incredibly useful skill: the ability to find his way into really competitive positions. This is, as Phil calls it, his “superpower” which later led him to create his current business venture, PrepWell Academy. The academy is an innovative approach to preparing high school students (and their parents) for the rigors of the college admissions process. His unique program is delivered online and focuses on the early preparation of students (freshman and sophomore year) interested in attending highly-selective colleges (e.g. Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, etc.), military service academies (e.g. Naval Academy, West Point, etc.), and those seeking athletic or ROTC scholarships. Visit our website to enroll your child in one of our custom programs (Pathway, Ivy, Military, Athlete).
Phil’s story is mindblowing and is a real testament to the fact that we’re allowed to start over not just once, but as many times as we want!

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

  • The process of how Phil reinvented himself multiple times.
  • The importance of evaluating (and re-evaluating) your life.
  • How Phil discovered his “superpower” and how it helped him build his current business.
  • How it’s okay to never settle on the idea of pursuing one thing forever.
  • And so much more!

Where to find Phil:  

Resources mentioned in this episode:

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