Success, Happiness, and Impact with Dr. Manuel Astruc, Episode #44

Today’s guest on the Mitlin Money Mindset™ is Dr. Manuel Astruc, the founder of Your Next Act. Manuel started Your Next Act to help high-achieving entrepreneurs find the mental strength to not just survive their ventures, but thrive. After seeing for himself the change that comes with consciously making an effort to embrace the journey and block out negativity made in his own life. He knew he needed to share this knowledge with others. What makes Dr. Astruc unique is he has been working as a psychiatrist for over 20 years and the last 15 in his own private practice. He also has experience in the addictions field as the Medical Director of the Saratoga County Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services and previously worked as the Medical Director of the Saratoga Hospital Mental Health Unit. Manuel’s path is a result of his own personal life events and I’m excited for you to hear his story.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

  • Manuel’s path to launching Your Next Act [2:39]
  • How Your Next Act is looking to help people [7:28]
  • Happiness is fleeting [10:33]
  • Why is mindset so important for entrepreneurs [15:28]
  • The benefits of working with a trained psychiatrist opposed to a business coach [18:54]
  • Some tools and ways for people to take small steps toward big change [23:38]
  • Turning off your entrepreneur brain in order to meditate [29:35]
  • What Manuel did today that put him in the right mindset for success? [32:46]

Manuel’s path to launching Your Next Act

From all outward appearances Manuel was successful, but in September 2008, he had a “something’s got to change” moment. He was completely burnt out, fried. His twin sister had passed away the month before, after fighting brain cancer for 3 years. One Saturday as he was thinking of her and looking at a photograph, it struck Manuel how gracefully she had handled her illness. How she had made the best out of all the circumstances that she had faced and how he was healthy and in a good position but was absolutely miserable.

That started a period of commitment, that no matter what, he had to enjoy the ride. Over the last 12 years, Manuel’s been trying new things. He made some changes immediately and worked toward other long-term changes in his life. He’s been following what he calls little adjacent possibles—side hustles that require small amounts of time and money—and has been enjoying trying different things that will work into the course of his day alongside his practice. Manuel says he’s pretty busy so it’s taken a while but three years ago, one commitment that he made was going all-in on coaching. The first iterations of his coaching program were local in-person workshops but now it’s become virtual and is available to people all over the world. We’re never finished products and coaching is a great way for people who have dreams and aspirations to get better.

Happiness is fleeting but it can be found

Oftentimes when we think of happiness, we think of immediate short-term gratification. Things that feel good in the moment. However, those moments tend to be fleeting. For example, if you get a new car, you’re excited but after a while, you adapt to that new car and it’s no longer a source of happiness. That’s an adaptation that your brain makes to something that you now consider to be your new norm.

We also think of happiness in terms of things that come with a neon sign, big, bold things that you really feel. What we don’t tend to think of as happiness is small moments of pleasure like crisp air, a genuine compliment from someone you respect, perfect weather, a fun conversation with a stranger, or a good parking spot in a crowded lot. Those are happy moments. We can find happiness and gratitude ties into that a lot.

Manuel teaches people to find happiness using four parts

Manuel talks about his four-part model. He starts with mindset, how you think about things (and you know we love that here on the Mitlin Money Mindset™) and acknowledging that we are never finished products. We’re always learning and growing and as long as we have the opportunity to learn and grow, we have a shot at happiness. Another part is the realization that connection with others is a critical part of our happiness.

Learning to blaze your own trail is yet another part. Live your life by design, not by default. It’s helpful to be thinking about what your guiding principles are. What are your values, what do you want out of life? What is the trail that you’re going to blaze for yourself, irrespective of status, success, or what society expects. And finally, the idea that you can commit to enjoying things. Change is possible, there is hope, and there is a lot of help available. So even within your hurts, anxiety, depression, and addictions, you can make the commitment that you’re going to enjoy the ride no matter what. And if there’s something that’s blocking you, commit to doing something about it.

Connect with Dr. Manuel Astruc

Manuel Astruc is a board-certified psychiatrist with over 20 years of experience and 50,000 hours serving clients face to face. He works in his private practice and in the addictions field as the medical director of Saratoga County Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services.

His own story of burnout inspired a better conversation about how to avoid or overcome the damaging effects of burnout.

Manuel takes the wisdom he’s learned and brings it to business owners and entrepreneurs to help them battle the stress and mental exhaustion high achievers can feel. Dr. Astruc helps others recognize how focusing on their mental fitness translates into greater success, both in life and in business.

Guests on the Mitlin Money Mindset Show are not affiliated with CWM, LLC, and opinions expressed herein may not be representative of CWM, LLC. CWM, LLC is not responsible for the guest’s content linked on this site.

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