Find Your Zen | Alex Boyd, Co-Founder of Aware

A botched coffee run taught Alex Boyd that ownership is a binary concept: you do it or you don’t. He unpacks variable-pay psychology, lifestyle creep traps, and how lowering his salary actually increased his freedom.

Key Takeaways
• Variable pay builds grit when lifestyle stays flat.
• Define “enough” cash before the slot‑machine brain takes over.
• Post‑deal debriefs sharpen future pitches in minutes.
• Voice‑note journaling empties mental cache on the go.
• Freedom > fanciest title; optimize for optionality.

Timestamps
00:00 – Intro: the coffee‑run lesson
05:15 – Binary ownership mindset
11:46 – Variable‑comp psychology deep dive
15:29 – Lifestyle‑creep red flags
21:19 – Defining “enough” numbers
27:27 – Voice‑note debrief workflow
32:53 – Founder vs. employee identity
38:12 – Money as optionality
42:45 – Burnout‑prevention rituals
49:08 – Wrap: grit with grace

Links
Learn more about Alex
Learn more about Jolie
Learn more about Revenue Mind