Brian Gallagher Of Simple Man Guide On How Simplifying & Decluttering Your Life Can Make You Happier
An Interview With Drew Gerber
Do your own homework for YOUR individual situation. It’s ‘conventional wisdom’ to own your home. But conventional doesn’t mean universal.
We live in a time of great excess. We have access to fast fashion, fast food, and fast everything. But studies show that all of our “stuff” is not making us any happier. How can we simplify and focus on what’s important? How can we let go of all the clutter and excess and find true happiness? In this interview series, we are talking to coaches, mental health experts, and authors who share insights, stories, and personal anecdotes about “How Simplifying and Decluttering Your Life Can Make Us Happier.” As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Brian Gallagher.
Brian is a ‘Corporate American turned Global Citizen’. After a career in finance, several years as a fitness studio owner, and giving away 99% of his belongings, Brian left the traditional path to see the world and live life on HIS terms. He created Simple Man Guide, a personal brand dedicated to helping others leave the corporate world behind, simplify their lives, and regain power over their most precious asset — time. Brian currently lives in Amsterdam with his girlfriend, Martina.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share your “backstory” with us? What was it that led you to your eventual career choice?
I traveled around the world and worked out at the most beautiful spots I could find! That’s what led me to what I’m doing now. But before that, I had a pretty straightforward path.
I always did well in school. National Honor Society, never got in trouble (well, rarely ha!), but there was something about college that I wanted no parts of. I just didn’t want to do more schooling. I had some family members and others older than me that were carpenters, and since I was enjoyed wood shop in high school, I thought that would be my path.
Until I had a friend’s dad pull me aside one day and asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to be a union carpenter, and he said to me:
“You’re the smartest one of these guys. If you don’t go to college, you’re in an idiot.”
So I went.
Long story short, landed in finance. Had no idea what those people did, but quickly saw that everyone wanted to be in investment banking. So I thought, I want to do that too. I didn’t get a banking job right out of college, but the co-op I did during college, at Johnson & Johnson, helped me land a full-time job there right out of school.
I worked there for two years, then finally got the investment banking role I always wanted. Worked there for 9 years, grew tired of that, then opened a fitness studio with a friend of mine.
Ran that for a few years, and eventually closed it because we weren’t making any money. I left New York after ditching all my things, traveled the world for almost 3 years… looking for the most beautiful spots to work out.
And when people started asking me more about my lifestyle, how I was living this way, and what I was doing for work — that’s when the light bulb went off me, and I thought: I can help others do this.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
A bunch of bullet points ran through my head as I heard this question, and I could have taken it any number of ways, but I’ll go with a career story — and perhaps my earliest hint that I wasn’t meant for corporate.
I did a co-op with Johnson & Johnson my junior year of college. So I left school to work for an entire semester. The role went well, but I didn’t love it. But without any other prospects for a job coming out of school, and getting invited to interview for a full-time offer, I decided to go for it.
I knew I wasn’t one of the better candidates when I saw who they invited to interview day. But when I saw who the interviewers were, I was excited. Not because I worked with most of them, but because I played softball with two of them. I played baseball in high school, so I was a solid add to my department’s team. And that creates some pretty solid bonds.
The most senior guy of the interviewers, was also my group’s head — AND on the softball team. He also asked the toughest questions, but ones I nailed. And after coming in thinking I didn’t have a chance — I was one of the 5 chosen, out of around 30+ candidates.
I signed the offer in October, with a start date for the following June. I was graduating in December, so that meant I had 6 months to do whatever I wanted, before starting my career.
I planned a trip to Australia for the month of February to go visit an Aussie college bud who studied abroad at Penn State. I was also going to live in my fraternity house for the whole semester because a lot of my friends were still in school.
Someone from Johnson & Johnson called me in December, saying they had some needs in January in the department I was starting in, and asked if I wanted to start then. I said no because of the Australia trip.
“Ok, no problem at all. How about you start in March?”
My response: “I think I’d prefer to keep the June start date. Thank you for the offer though.”
And I headed to school for one last go at college life before starting my career. I’m still proud of myself for making that decision.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Yes! I am. I’m busy with my coaching platform called Take The Leap, designed to help 9–5ers who’ve had enough of the default path we’ve all been pushed on, and desire something more for their prime years.
It’s a 4-month container meant to take them from corporate career to making their first dollar in a career they’ll enjoy.
It took me 11 years to acquire the knowledge and guts to leave the corporate world behind. And my goal with Take The Leap is to:
- Provide a framework to those entering, or only a few years into their corporate career, so they can understand that this other option exists. They don’t have to do something they don’t enjoy for their entire career.
- Help those that have already decided they’ve had enough.
I want to help them make the most common transitions necessary to make this happen — and hopefully in a lot less time than it took me. Help them go from:
- Unsure how much money they need TO understanding they’ll need way less than we think.
- Having NO idea what they can do for work TO creating a next career move they’ll find enjoyable and meaningful.
- Fearful of losing stability TO feeling confident they can go out on their own.
- Spending their prime years doing something they don’t enjoy TO loving their work every day.
This has quickly become my life mission. And I’m dedicated to helping 1,000 people make this move if they’ve decided that the corporate career is not for them.
Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority on the topic of “How Simplifying and Decluttering Your Life Can Make You Happier”?
Short answer: I walk the walk.
I left behind a home base and 98% of my things when I left New York City in 2019. And I instantly felt the weight lifted when I gave away my couch, bed, table, etc. I didn’t have to think about how to move this stuff back to my parents’ house. How to store it. I dropped off two boxes off with my folks — and then hit the road with a backpack. Understanding that I could literally go anywhere. And that I had everything I needed, not only to survive. But to thrive.
And I didn’t NEED to do that. I could have gotten a new apartment. I had the money saved to put my things in storage, holding them for me when I returned. It wasn’t about money though. It was about freedom. And that feeling of being as light as I could possibly be.. I’m talking not even checking a BAG for my flight to Ecuador to kick off my travels. It was all in my backpack. And it was ALL that I needed.
Here’s where it became really clear what I had set myself up to do. When all my financial obligations were covered, my debts repaid, and I realized I saved a year of my living expenses — I knew right then that I didn’t need the job anymore. Not forever. But not right now. And that was not something I was NOT used to.
I didn’t come from money. Both my parents worked, my dad worked TWO jobs, to keep their heads above water. They were lucky to have an extra thousand bucks laying around, so having enough money where I could not work for a whole YEAR, and not sweat it — that was a real eye-opening moment for me.
THAT combined with the fact that this simplifying kick had really taken ahold of me. That really changed the game. Completely. I could spend WAY less, and not only be happy because I had less things to worry about. I could all but eliminate the largest stressor in my life at that time: work.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main focus of our interview. We live in a time of excess. We have access to so much. But studies show that all of our “stuff” is not making us any happier. Can you articulate for our readers a few reasons why all of our possessions are not giving us happiness?
Sense of worry — where to keep them, how to care for them.. something simple as cleaning around them. Having to make more decisions every day based on these items that will do nothing to bring more joy into our lives. Convenience, yes. Comfort, absolutely. But pure JOY. Or happiness? No. They just don’t matter that much.
There are so many examples. The largest project ever done on happiness, where researchers tracked people their entire lives, over 70 years of research — points to the one thing that can basically predict our happiness: relationships.
The top 5 regrets of those facing death — not one of them mentions how they wish they had more stuff. It just doesn’t matter in the grand scheme. But we focus so much of our attention on acquisition.
It’s actually the wrong thing altogether. The joy associated with this — that joy is in the anticipation. Think about literally anything you buy. House. Car. Furniture. Everyone wants to change it / refresh it / upgrade it at some point. We get excited at the thought of having something new, but after a while, new becomes normal. Thrill changes back to the mundane or ordinary. And we need to buy something else for that feeling to come back.
And to change / refresh / update — we need money. We need to work to get money. Doing something we usually don’t enjoy, to buy things with an expiring excitement factor attached. And this cycle keeps going. And it’s easy to get trapped.
And that’s just the item itself. Toss in social media, the family next door, advertisements. And it’s almost impossible to feel we DON’T need something new, bigger, stronger, faster, prettier.
But I truly feel this ALL stems from spending the majority of your time doing something that doesn’t bring you joy. If you’re filling your days with things that light you up, whether it’s people, activities, or tasks — these material desires fall off. Big time. At least they have for me.
So, the only way to break out of this cycle: find work you enjoy.
On a broader societal level, how do you think this excessiveness may be harming our communities and society?
It has us focusing on the wrong things. Our ‘success’ is measured using the wrong metrics. Not only is it harmful for us, but it’s harmful for our planet too.
But it doesn’t connect us. It inadvertently puts us in competition with others. We have to have more. We have to have better. We need newer. And this is just the economic side.
Add in social media, where we are all put in our little mental silos, seeing personalized information and views about the world, and instead of connecting us, which I truly believe WAS the original intention — it serves to drive wedges. It separates us. There’s a huge demand, and huge payday, for those that can keep our attention. And there’s a misalignment between what we want, and what the platforms and advertisers want.
This makes me think of one of my favorite quotes, from Robert F. Kennedy. He’s talking about GDP, or Gross Domestic Output, the main measure of our economy. He talks about all the things this measurement includes, things at are harmful to society, like production of war items, prisons, pollution, cigarettes.
And then he begins talking about children’s health, education quality, the joy of play, the strength of marriage, the integrity of public officials… all things not included.
And he sums it by saying: “it measures everything in short, except that which makes life worth living.”
Our ‘success’ and progress as a society is not measured by any of the things that serve to make us happy. When we’re incentivized by better productivity, better profitability, more, newer.. the items that don’t serve those metrics, become victims of those metrics.
The irony of struggling with happiness in modern times is glaring. In many places in the world today, we have more than ever before in history. Yet despite this, so many people are unhappy. Why is simplifying a solution? How would simplifying help people to access happiness?
The unhappiness source of many people: work. It’s that simple. More specifically, work they don’t enjoy. Think about it. We spend the majority of our waking hours, during the absolute prime years of our lives, during things we absolutely can’t stand, at worst.. and at best, we don’t dislike. That doesn’t sound like the best way to spend our limited time here.
And what we’ve been inadvertently using as the relief or solution to this unhappiness: consumerism and consumption. When it’s been proven, in the study I mentioned prior, that relationships are the main source of our happiness. Not things. Not work. But yet, all of our time is spent more so preparing, doing, or worrying about these two items: work and things. We tend to fill the leftover time with mindless entertainment because we’re usually exhausted from spending our days doing something we don’t want to do.
And what we have is never enough. We’re never focused on contentment. We always need more. Bigger. Newer. Faster. It’s constant. And toss in social media robbing of us of our attention (we take the blame too.. I’m not abdicating the user in this), showing us how much BETTER life CAN be, if we buy this / do that / go there. What we’re doing is never enough. There’s always something better. And that something better — is ALWAYS in our face.
Why does everyone say going out in nature is healing? Because it gets us away from all this SHIT!
But we’re in a system that’s designed to be all about growth. If everyone picked up this mentality, our economy would come to a grinding halt. I’m bad for the economy!
Can you share some insights from your own experience? Where in your life have you transformed yourself from not having enough to finally experiencing enough? For example, many people feel they don’t have enough money. Yet, people define abundance differently, and often, those with the least money can feel the most abundant. Where in your health, wealth, or relationships have you transformed your life?
The idea of questioning what I really wanted. Not what I think I should want. I thought I wanted a big house in the suburbs. And the lifestyle, prestige, and confidence that comes with it. But when I thought about the things that made me happy, having a big house didn’t really fit in there. In fact, after listening to the things I wanted, a big house was the exact opposite of what I stand for.
I want every aspect of my life to be simple. My living situation. My belongings. My pursuits. I do my best to march to the beat of my own drum, trying not to get caught in a comparison game with others. It’s difficult, not going to lie. And I have moments where I get hit with the comparison bug.
When I look at some of my friends my age. And they’re executives of companies. They just bought a beach house. Those things give me pause, and I think to myself, “man, if you had just stayed the path, YOU could be doing this too.”
But then I think about what I’ve been able to do over the last 7–8 years — start my own business, close my own business, travel the world, ‘retire’, start another business even more aligned than the first one, and most importantly, have complete and total control over my days — and I wouldn’t trade any of that to go back and work a corporate job, to have the beach house.
And I think about this A LOT: I sacrificed, or hell, I’ll even say, I dipped out of my prime corporate earning years to go try something on my own. To live on my own terms. I took a massive pay cut to open the fitness studio. But I LOVED every minute of it. I can recall so many times where I was running a class, hosting an event, or getting invited to certain things, and thinking, “this is my job?!?” I never had that in my corporate career. It was more of a “only 10 more hours until I get back home” kind of mindset.
So being able to step back and listen to what I really wanted. And it wasn’t the things that I felt everyone around was striving for. Following those feelings, and transforming my desires — has made all the difference for me.
People, places, and things shape our lives. For example, your friends generate conversations that influence you. Where you live impacts what you eat and how you spend your time. The “things” in your life, like phones, technology, or books impact your recreation. Can you tell us a little about how people, places, and things in your own life impact your experience of “experiencing enough?”
Something about being introduced to whole new world of people after leaving my corporate role. Getting in the mix with people who start their own things. Who have ideas and go execute them. Movers and shakers. I felt that in the corporate world, but to a different extent. It was more of folks ‘moving and shaking’ — but within the corporate box still. Like going to work at a private equity fund. Going back to business school. Going to be CEO of a public company.
It’s not better. It’s just different. It was more aligned with what I personally wanted because I had these thoughts early on about working for myself, but I was always surrounded with people working for others. And my whole mentality revolved around working for others, doing what you’re told, and being paid for it.
But when I got out of that world, there was a whole new world of others doing what they wanted to do, entirely unrelated to anything corporate. Starting restaurants. Building fitness or lifestyle brands.
Seeing that, and being surrounded by that, made me see that it is possible. It reinforced the idea that I could do it too. And transitioning into a world where I could see others spending their days doing things that truly motivated them — and getting paid to do it — was instrumental in my whole idea of ‘experiencing enough’.
That really opened the door for me. Because without that mentality, I’d still be in a cube, and I’m certain I’d be someone who looked back from the age of 65 or older, wondering what I could have done if I had just followed what I enjoyed, discarded that I didn’t, and listened more to what I enjoyed doing.
What advice would you give to younger people about “experiencing enough?”
Go out and experience MORE! Get out of the normal path, the normal expectations, the societal norms. The things that weigh on you that you think you are ‘supposed’ to do. There are NO rules. You don’t need to have a house by 30. You don’t need to be married by 35. You don’t need to have kids by a certain age. You don’t NEED to go to college. You don’t NEED to pursue a career path just because it pays a lot of money.
The advice I would give is this: pay more attention to what you enjoy doing. I had a few things that I was interested in as a teenager, but decided not to pursue because I was scared away by my elders because they didn’t pay enough, or my favorite was this: “you’ll be taping ankles your whole career” (because I wanted to go into physical therapy).
And the one recurring thought I have now is this: what would I have done if I pursued one of those paths. Because when you choose a job solely for money, there’s no curiosity behind it. You won’t read about it in your free time. Nor push the boundaries of what can be done. You’ll work when the hours require it, and you’ll look forward to those hours when you don’t HAVE to do it. And with those hours, you’ll do ANYTHING else.
When you are doing work you truly enjoy, you won’t have those periods where you’re dying to do something else. You’ll try new things with it in your free time. You’ll be excited to follow questions and curiosities you have. You won’t fall victim to the simplest distractions because you’re interested in what you’re doing. This curiosity gives you a genuine chance to be the best at what you’re doing. Without that, someone else, who IS interested in the subject, will ALWAYS be better than you.
If you do choose a job solely for money — you WILL tire of it. This is not something that MAY happen. It will happen. And the question then becomes:
1. Will you be prepared to change course and pursue something you enjoy, OR
2. Will you feel stuck, like you have no other choice — and accept a less-than-ideal situation.
Your career is one giant experiment. Act accordingly.
This is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience and research, can you share your “five ways we can simplify and declutter our lives to make us happier?”
1/ Detach happiness from material things.
Every purchase I’ve ever made, that I was once excited about, became the new norm. And to feel that excitement again — I needed to buy something else. Fill your days with things you enjoy, and you won’t care about stuff as much. Break this tie as soon as you can. Remember — the joy is in the anticipation. And is fleeting.
2/ Travel solo.
For several reasons, but keeping it to the topic at hand: it will show you how much you absolutely NEED. Not the nice-to-haves, not the strong desires. Exactly what you need to survive. And be happy. And solo travel? Because it will force you talk to others, open yourself up to new experiences. Yes, you can do that when traveling with others too, but I’ve found you’re more inclined to do this when you’re solo because you have no ‘default’ companion.
3/ Wear a uniform.
I used to spend a ton of money on clothes. Custom suits for work. Automatic watches. Handmade shoes. And high-end department items for my casual wear. Now, I wear the same two pairs of black Lululemon pants, and about 5 different t-shirts. And 95% of the time, I’m in black, white, or gray.
What I’ve learned is that no one gives a shit about what you wear. Don’t look sloppy. Don’t wear dirty clothes. If you wear clean, solid-fitting, plain clothes, you’ll look fantastic. While spending a fraction of the time and money. And — it makes #2 SO much easier 😉
4/ Rent.
Now, there are reasons to buy, and if they work for you, then by all means — go for it. But do NOT buy because you think you need to, or because you think your home is some kind of great asset. It’s a liability, by all definitions. If you’re thinking it’ll be great to have $0 living expenses once it’s paid off.. your living expense will NEVER go to $0. Whether it’s taxes, insurance, HOA, maintenance fees for a condo, or repairs. You will always have a living expense.
Here’s why I didn’t do it (and I revisit to make sure it still doesn’t make sense for me!): a down payment would have drained my savings, my monthly living expense would have increased 2.5x, and I would have been right back where I never wanted to be: In debt and tied to a job that I didn’t like.
Instead, I kept a cash cushion, paid monthly for my living expenses, and NEVER have to worry about maintenance for anything. Something breaks, I call the landlord. For no cash out of my pocket.
Do your own homework for YOUR individual situation. It’s ‘conventional wisdom’ to own your home. But conventional doesn’t mean universal.
5/ Stay in alignment.
The biggest simplification I’ve completed in the last ten years: shedding a whole separate personality. A character. A persona.
It was evident in everything I did. The way I spoke. My mindset. The way I dressed. I had a ‘work’ closet and a ‘personal’ closet.
After I left my job, I could get rid of all the remnants of ‘corporate’ me. I could talk how I would normally talk. I could wear what I wanted. I could go wherever I wanted — meaning not to an office every day.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
The idea that you CAN find or create work for yourself that is enjoyable and meaningful for you, while helping solve a problem for others. Spending the majority of your waking hours, during the prime years of your life, doing something you don’t enjoy — is not the best use of our time here. We only get one shot at this. Experiment, and find what truly lights you up.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can find me on LinkedIn under Brian Gallagher, Instagram @simplemanguide, and my website — simplemanguide.com.
Thank you so much for these insights. This was so inspiring, and so important!
About The Interviewer: For 30 years, Drew Gerber has been inspiring those who want to change the world. Drew is the CEO of Wasabi Publicity, Inc., a full-service PR agency lauded by PR Week and Good Morning America. Wasabi Publicity, Inc. is a global marketing company that supports industry leaders, change agents, unconventional thinkers, companies and organizations that strive to make a difference. Whether it’s branding, traditional PR or social media marketing, every campaign is instilled with passion, creativity and brilliance to powerfully tell their clients’ story and amplify their intentions in the world. Schedule a free consultation at WasabiPublicity.com/Choosing-Publicity.
Brian Gallagher Of Simple Man Guide On How Simplifying & Decluttering Your Life Can Make You… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.