Entrepreneur and martial arts instructor Gary Engels joins me to unpack what it really means to rebuild when everything is stripped away—and why modern resilience requires more than grit.
Most stories about reinvention soften the edges. This episode doesn’t. Gary and I walk through what happens when loss is not metaphorical but literal: a house fire that destroyed everything he owned while raising three children under five, leaving him with nothing but insurance paperwork, a hotel room, and the responsibility to keep going.
Gary shares how that moment forced a recalibration of risk, preparedness, and identity. From running a martial arts school for over two decades to building and exiting businesses across marketing, gig work, corporate networks, and professional services, his story is less about hustle and more about designing a life that doesn’t collapse under stress.
We explore how personal catastrophe reshapes perspective on money, why low burn rates matter more than high incomes, and how the gig economy has quietly become a resilience layer—not a side hustle—for over half of the U.S. workforce. Gary explains why independence isn’t about chasing upside, but about reducing fragility.
The conversation spans entrepreneurship, minimalism, family pressure, leadership, and the illusion of security in both “safe” careers and high-status wealth. We dig into why many high earners are more trapped than free, how possessions quietly tax attention and energy, and why preparedness—financial and psychological—is a leadership skill, not paranoia.
This is not a motivational comeback story. It’s a sober conversation about optionality, responsibility, and how repeated resets—business failures, market shifts, personal loss—can either hollow you out or harden your foundations.
The lesson isn’t optimism.
It’s realism: life will break your plans.
Your job is to build systems that still function when it does.
TL;DR
Total loss reframes what actually matters faster than success ever does
Low burn rates increase options more than high income
Gig work isn’t instability—it’s distributed resilience
Independence starts with expense control, not income growth
Every possession adds hidden management cost and stress
Most “security” is illusionary and fragile
Leadership is about preparedness, not bravado
You either win or you learn—but both require staying in the fight
Memorable Lines
“I’d rather be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.”
“Everything you own becomes a job.”
“Most people don’t lose because they fail—they lose because they’re unprepared.”
“Freedom comes from lowering the rock before trying to lift it.”
“It doesn’t matter what happens to you. What matters is what you do next.”
Guest
Gary Engels — Entrepreneur, CEO, and martial arts instructor
CEO of MyGig, focused on helping independent workers and businesses access professional-grade services without corporate dependency. Veteran founder across brick-and-mortar, marketing, corporate networks, and gig economy platforms.
Why This Matters
The modern economy rewards flexibility, not loyalty.
Jobs disappear. Businesses reset. Income streams vanish overnight—sometimes literally in flames. Most people are taught to optimize for growth without understanding fragility.
This episode reframes resilience as a design problem, not a personality trait.
For founders, operators, and executives navigating volatility, this conversation offers a clearer lens: success isn’t avoiding collapse—it’s building systems that let you recover quickly without sacrificing family, health, or identity.
Stability doesn’t come from comfort.
It comes from preparedness, discipline, and the willingness to rethink everything when the ground gives way.
