This week on Poncha Talk, I hiked and talked with my good friend Brandon Harpold (@brandonharpold), who brings a refreshing and philosophical lens to the remote lifestyle.

After getting laid off from his job as a human factors engineer, Brandon chose to take a very different path—he’s now building a life as a speaker, coach, and online philosopher. We explore what it means to live intentionally, build meaningful friendships as a nomad, and experiment boldly with life (including that one time he became a stripper—for one night only).

We also dig into how social media has shaped our attention spans and how Brandon uses short-form content to make big ideas more accessible in today’s fast-scroll world.

This episode is thoughtful, unexpected, and full of reminders not to take life too seriously.

Follow Brandon on Instagram: @brandonharpold
Follow the podcast: @ponchatalk

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro
0:55 – Brandon’s story: from engineer to coach to philosopher
12:05 – Nomad friendships through a philosophical lens
22:10 – How social media reshapes our attention span (and Brandon’s bite-size approach to big ideas)
27:45 – The one-night stripping story: curiosity, friends, and bold life experiments
41:04 – Embracing silliness and the role of play in adult life