Episode recap:

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What happens when the success you’ve been chasing no longer feels meaningful? In this season finale, Marcel sits down with six-time book award-winning author Justin Jones-Fosu to discuss his new book, Stop Chasing, Start Creating. Using a fresh take on the Tortoise and the Hare, Justin explores the tension between external achievement and internal fulfillment—and what it takes to stop living by comparison and start living in alignment with your values. 

Guest Bio:

Justin Jones-Fosu is a 6x book award-winning author, 2x TEDx speaker, and CEO of Work. Meaningful, and Chairperson of the Work Meaningful Foundation. He helps leaders and high-achievers navigate information fatigue and shift from chasing external success to creating meaningful work and life. His latest book, Stop Chasing, Start Creating, is a powerful fable that reimagines success through the untold story of the tortoise. 

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Show Notes

Quotes:

• Ambition without values is misaligned.
• Sometimes we’re running so fast through life that we don’t check whether we got on the right train.
• In a world overflowing with content and information, what we don’t need now is more noise.

Takeaways:

1. Define success by your values, not external approval. Meaningful work is significant to you, aligned with your values, and positively impacts others
2. Build alignment through small, intentional steps. Justin’s Meaning Journey Model mindset, momentum, and mastery encourages taking ownership, forming sustainable habits, and regularly reflecting 
3. Leaders should model well-being and care for their teams. Check in on people’s values and well-being, not just their work or results

Timestamps:

00:00 Stop Chasing, Start Creating
04:18 Justin’s Story
06:36 The Tortoise and the Hare Reimagined
10:14 What Makes Life Meaningful?
13:13 Three Ways to Find Personal Alignment
18:16 Ambition, Values, and the Right Direction
21:14 Rethinking Success at Any Age
23:39 Breaking the Social Media Validation Cycle
25:37 The Meaning Journey Model
28:33 Building Meaningful Habits
31:07 Being a Tortoise in the Modern Workplace
35:14 Choosing Values Over External Success
38:42 One Step to Start Creating Meaning
41:30 Meaning, Burnout, and Peace
42:35 How Leaders Help People Flourish
45:22 Where to Find Justin and His Book

Conclusion:

Creating a meaningful life starts with asking whether your choices reflect your values, not just society’s idea of success. Justin’s tortoise metaphor reminds us that progress doesn’t have to be fast to be intentional and impactful. Small, consistent actions can build lasting alignment and help reduce the strain of chasing someone else’s goals. Leaders can support flourishing by modeling well-being and making space to care about their people beyond work. Ultimately, meaning grows when we choose what matters, commit to it, and keep making intentional steps forward.

The Book

Links/Resources: 

Connect with Justin Jones-Fosu: 

Website: https://workmeaningful.com/  

Book: https://stopchasingstartcreating.com/  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iworkmeaningful  

Values Assessment

Connect with Marcel Schwantes: 

Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/    

X: https://x.com/MarcelSchwantes  

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarcelSchwantes1  

Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/

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