Mile High FI Podcast

3d ago

Doug chats with Rusty about an intense neighborhood dispute involving prairie dog conservation, highlighting how ethical frameworks and philosophical approaches can guide community decisions. Doug shares his experience working through this issue while emphasizing the importance of patience, humor, and effective communication in resolving disputes. Rusty provides additional philosophical and ethical considerations while touching upon related communication strategies & improved community engagement. Do you like the podcast and want to support the show? Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/ Interested in a pair of Xero shoes so that you can be just like Doug & Rusty? Check them out here: https://milehighfi.com/shoe Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses? Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you! Guitar Accessories Hiking & Outdoor Essentials for Sleep Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers? Of course you do! We ALL do! Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington Links Amy Karofsky, “Philosophy Through Film” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Michael Schur, “How to be Perfect” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Audiobook Oliver Burkeman, “Four Thousand Weeks” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Audiobook Oliver Burkeman, “The Antidote” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Audiobook Lucius Annaeus Seneca, “On the Shortness of Life” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Audiobook Marcus Aurelius, “Meditations” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Aristotle “The Nicomachean Ethics” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Audio CD MHFI Facebook group Doug’s site Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey — Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list! Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals. ** Brought To You By: The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles Email the show: doug@milehighfi.com 0:00 Introduction 1:53 Philosophy & ethics background 7:27 The prairie dog situation 14:27 Exploring people’s intentions 23:17 Levelheadedness 29:17 3 main schools of ethics 36:20 Contractualism 41:45 The Trolley Problem 46:12 Aristotle’s 12 virtues 54:18 Stoicism & communication 58:28 Philosophy & ethics resources 1:04:19 Prairie dog outcome 1:09:01 Soundcheck – Shoes

Dec 11

Please support the show if you like it! I play a couple of highlights from Mad Fientist and Mr. Money Mustache after my pitch. Mile High FI stats and a correction: Spotify is 28% of the audience, so that’s grown in 2025 and higher than I said in this episode. If you extrapolate the Spotify year end review data to the total downloads, here is what you get… Mile High FI is a: Top 5 podcast for about 5,000 people! #1 podcast for about 740 people! I don’t have ads anymore so I want to cover production costs. Most of the costs are related to software and tools and hosting. Many other podcasts have sucky ads every 15 minutes. I don’t want to do that. Producer Chris volunteers to edit and produce the show. We’re not trying to get rich doing the show, but it takes a lot of time, effort, and planning. You can donate via Buy Me a Coffee . You get extra content and know that you’re making the show possible You can also check out the affiliate offers here , which are products that I recommend. Mile High FI usually gets a small percentage, say 1% to 15%, depending on the arrangement. It helps, but direct donations are the best.

Dec 9

Doug chats with Justin David Carl (Fit Rich Life) about his journey from being deep in debt to achieving FI. Justin shares his experience leaving a high-earning sales job and the burnout he faced, followed by how he started the Fit Rich Life podcast & coaching and dealt with the psychological challenges of early retirement. He also shares some of the specific thoughts & actions that eventually made him comfortable with his own semi-retirement life. Do you like the podcast and want to support the show? Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/ Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses? Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you! Guitar Accessories Hiking & Outdoor Essentials for Sleep Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers? Of course you do! We ALL do! Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington Links Fit Rich Life Website & podcast Newsletter Coaching Justin on MHFI episode 204 FinCon Jordan Grumet, “The Purpose Code” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Audiobook Jordan Grumet (Doc G) on Fit Rich Life Podcast episode 86 William Bridges, “Transitions” Kindle Paperback Audiobook Audio CD Dan Koe Justin Welsh Two Sides of FI MHFI Facebook group Doug’s site Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey — Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list! Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals. ** Brought To You By: The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles 0:00 Introduction 1:50 The Golden Goose job 8:16 Identity crisis & self-worth 14:25 Burnout & recovery 22:02 Overachiever personality 30:28 Building a purposeful life 38:40 The power of competition 43:54 Embracing semi-retirement 49:00 Overcoming retirement fear 54:25 Navigating post-FI life 1:03:13 Soundcheck – Caffeine

Dec 2

Doug chats with Pete Adeney, Mr. Money Mustache, about how to ensure a good life by tracking daily habits while comparing Cal Newport’s “The Good Life Algorithm” to Pete’s own Badassity-tracking system. They discuss the concept of shifting identities after retirement, emphasize the importance of finding purpose beyond traditional work roles, and the value of nurturing friendships. Pete also answers a few listener questions from the Mile High FI Facebook group. Do you like the podcast and want to support the show? Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/ Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses? Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you! Guitar Accessories Hiking & Outdoor Essentials for Sleep Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers? Of course you do! We ALL do! Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington Links Pete Adeney/Mr. Money Mustache Badassity Tracker (Original) Badassity Tracker (Updated) MMM post “How to make a 400K impulse purchase” Cal Newport, “The Good Life Algorithm” Tim Ferriss, Jim Collins interview MMM on Tim Ferriss (2017) Culdesac MHFI Facebook group Doug’s site Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey — Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list! Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals. ** Brought To You By: The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles Email the show: doug@milehighfi.com 0:00 Introduction 2:38 Badassity Tracker 8:29 The Good Life Algorithm 13:38 Social overload 18:24 Eating, sleeping, & colonoscopies 26:36 Identity (crisis) after quitting 33:36 Curiosity & lifelong learning 38:23 Tips for finding identity after retirement 42:42 Productivity & purpose 50:53 Question: Margin accounts 55:31 Question: Culdesac 59:45 Question: Gravel bikes & bikepacking 1:03:22 Soundcheck – Electric vehicles

Nov 25

Doug chats with Chris Luger (Heavy Metal Money) about his path to retiring early at age 50. Chris shares his journey to financial literacy, changes he made since discovering FI, the impact of his career in tech, and experience investing in real estate. He also discusses the importance of finding purpose, how he’s balanced passions & activities after retirement, his struggles with identity, and philanthropic efforts through his nonprofit organization. Do you like the podcast and want to support the show? Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/ Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses? Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you! Guitar Accessories Hiking & Outdoor Essentials for Sleep Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers? Of course you do! We ALL do! Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington Links Heavy Metal Money Extreme Personal Finance Show podcast Amy Wilson on Extreme Personal Finance Show podcast The Luger Foundation David Allen, “Getting Things Done” Kindle Paperback Audiobook Audio CD Jordan Grumet, “The Purpose Code” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Audiobook Bill Perkins, “Die With Zero” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Audiobook Solar Guitars, “Chug School” MHFI Facebook group Doug’s site Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey — Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list! Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals. ** Brought To You By: The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles Email the show: doug@milehighfi.com 0:00 Introduction 4:33 Learning about finances 11:38 Job fulfillment & optionality 16:50 Identity & career growth 21:36 Discussing early retirement with others 26:29 Transitioning to retirement 32:41 Structure & preparing for retirement 40:22 Purpose & productivity 48:53 Teaching financial literacy 57:14 The Luger Foundation 1:05:04 Soundcheck – Guitar gear

Nov 18

Doug chats with Pete Adeney, Mr. Money Mustache, about exciting changes at the MMM Headquarters in Longmont, Colorado. Originally envisioned as a coworking space, the HQ is being rebranded to better reflect its true nature as a vibrant social club. Pete covers the origin story of the HQ, the decision to shift direction, opportunities for increased member involvement in organizing events, and plans for future growth. Do you like the podcast and want to support the show? Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/ Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses? Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you! Guitar Accessories Hiking & Outdoor Essentials for Sleep Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers? Of course you do! We ALL do! Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington Links Pete Adeney/Mr. Money Mustache MMM HQ info MMM HQ on Instagram Tim Ferriss, Mr. Money Mustache episode Carl Jensen: FI-Landia Is A Lie. What I Learned on My Journey to FIRE CampFI EconoMe Conference Rebel Finance School MHFI Facebook group Doug’s site Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey — Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list! Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals. ** Brought To You By: The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles Email the show: doug@milehighfi.com 0:00 Introduction 1:01 The FI Collective 8:08 The value of community 12:32 Influence of CampFI 16:59 The HQ origin story 21:24 Organizing community events 24:51 Transitioning to a social club 31:31 Soundcheck – Playing music

Nov 11

JT interviews Doug at FinCon 2025 in Portland about his entrepreneurial journey after leaving the corporate world, detailing his move into self-employment, affiliate marketing, and content creation. Doug discusses how he transitioned from management consulting to becoming a content creator, exploring his initial ventures, the creation of his keyword research method, and strategies for navigating changes in the online landscape. Do you like the podcast and want to support the show? Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/ Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses? Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you! Guitar Accessories Hiking & Outdoor Essentials for Sleep Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers? Of course you do! We ALL do! Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington Links Doug’s other projects Smart Passive Income Keyword Golden Ratio FinCon MHFI Facebook group Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey — Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list! Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals. ** Brought To You By: The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles Email the show: doug@milehighfi.com 0:00 Introduction 2:07 Curiosity about Doug’s mysterious background 7:58 Affiliate marketing journey 14:43 Challenges & changes in the industry 20:48 Done chasing trends 26:37 Future podcast ideas & direction

Nov 4

Doug reconnects with Steve, a previous guest, for an update on the past few years of his financial journey, including a net worth increase from $1.7 million to $2.5 million. Despite his financial success, Steve grapples with balancing work, family, and personal identity, contemplating a future shift towards more meaningful, public service-oriented work. He also discusses the intricacies of managing separate finances with his wife, mental challenges of a high-paying yet unfulfilling job, and the benefits of reassessing life goals & priorities in midlife. Do you like the podcast and want to support the show? Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/ Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses? Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you! Guitar Accessories Hiking & Outdoor Essentials for Sleep Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers? Of course you do! We ALL do! Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington Links Steve on MHFI episode 098 MHFI Facebook group Doug’s site Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey — Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list! Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals. ** Brought To You By: The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles Email the show: doug@milehighfi.com 0:00 Introduction 3:05 Updates on Steve’s financial situation 8:48 Navigating finances for couples 16:44 Continuing to work 21:38 Coping with identity and a midlife crisis 26:00 Laziness vs. productivity 34:29 Retirement goal & future plans