What happens when the “safe” path isn’t safe at all?

In 2008, Patrick McGinnis had the dream job—traveling the world, investing in emerging markets, climbing the ladder. Then the financial crisis hit. His company collapsed, his identity cracked, his health broke down, and suddenly the career he built his life around was gone.

In this conversation, Patrick shares the moment he realized no one was coming to save him, and how he rebuilt from the ground up—regaining his health, negotiating a more flexible life, redefining leverage, and eventually becoming the creator of the “10% Entrepreneur” and the originator of FOMO.

We talk about:

• Why “safe” careers can be the most dangerous
• How to know when you’re stuck vs. when you’re scared
• The role of health in major reinvention
• Finding leverage you didn’t know you had
• Escaping FOBO (fear of a better option) and decision paralysis
• What most people get wrong about quitting vs. creating options
• Why optionality—not blind risk—is the real path to freedom

If you’ve been stuck in “fine,” waiting for the perfect moment, or telling yourself you’ll change your life “once things calm down”… this episode is a wake-up call.

Patrick McGinnis
Website: https://patrickmcginnis.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrickjmcginnis
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-mcginnis
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@fomosapiens
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7gVsjLCgWggzjUl5GtFUOs
The 10% Entrepreneur: https://geni.us/p7Q3 (Amazon)
Fear of Missing Out: https://geni.us/JILPp (Amazon)

JJ Thelen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffthelen
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jjthelen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjthelen