Unraveling Career Transitions: Finding Fulfillment Beyond the Office - Evan Kuterbach

Join us in this riveting episode of Mind Over Masculinity, where we explore the powerful themes of career transitions, mental health, and the journey towards authentic living. With our guest Evan Kuterbach, we unravel his personal story of leaving behind a stable corporate job to forge a path as an entrepreneur with his venture, Canyon Pickleball. At the heart of this discussion lies a compelling examination of the societal expectations that bind men to traditional roles, often at the cost of their mental well-being. 

Evan candidly shares how the birth of his daughter became a watershed moment for reevaluating his priorities and defining what success truly means. This episode will resonate with anyone who has experienced the grip of burnout or has faced uncertainty regarding their career. We discuss the intricacies of vulnerability and its essential role in forging deeper connections—both within ourselves and in our relationships. 

Beyond the stories and insights, this episode calls on listeners to reflect on their own definitions of success and fulfillment, encouraging small yet significant steps towards finding what genuinely brings happiness. Join the conversation that advocates for change, openness, and the courage to redefine masculinity.

Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with friends who may benefit from our explorations into identity, purpose, and the evolving definitions of what it means to be a man today.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Mind Over Masculinity
• 25:00 Embracing Change: Evan’s Entrepreneurial Journey
• 50:00 Redefining Success: Mental Health and Career Satisfaction

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Hey everyone, welcome back to Mind Over Masculinity, the podcast where we get real about what it means to be a man today. So we strip away the outdated narratives, dig deep into the mental health and talk about the struggles, the breakthroughs and everything in between. And today we are diving into something that I know a lot of men are dealing with but don't always talk about Career transitions, burnout, identity and finding purpose beyond the work, and I can't think of a better guest to help us break it all down than Evan Kutrybak. So welcome to the show, Evan.

Speaker 2: 0:52

Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited to be here.

Speaker 1: 0:55

Lovely. So, dear listeners, before we start, I'd quickly love to introduce you with Evan. So Evan is a guy who walked away from corporate life to create something entirely new Canyon Pickleball. But this isn't just a story about the entrepreneurship, it's all about a story that's about reinvention, mental resilience and embracing the change even when it's terrifying. So, Ivan, welcome to the show.

Speaker 2: 1:32

Yeah, thank you for having me. Yeah, it's been. It's been quite a journey. It's been quite a journey building multiple businesses and trying to navigate all of these tough conversations. So, yeah, thanks for having me.

Speaker 1: 1:40

Exactly, exactly. So even like and let's start with the moment everything, uh, that changed for you. I mean, you had a stable corporate career and then, boom, you left it all behind to chase something new. So what was that moment? Like my, deal, sure?

Speaker 2: 1:57

yeah, it's a great question. So my journey into entrepreneurship and solopreneurship, however, however you want to call it, it really started about two years ago. So I'm actually coming up on my anniversary of leaving the corporate world, which is in April, so I'm excited for two years. But really it all began about two years ago when my daughter was born and, like probably some of your listeners who have kids, it really was just a massive milestone, obviously, like adding to our family, you know, becoming a dad. And when I was, um, when I was about to have my daughter and my wife was pregnant, I was really analyzing where I was in my life.

Speaker 2: 2:41

At the time, I was 30, 31 years old and I was just not super pleased with how I was in my life. At the time I was 30, 31 years old and I was just not super pleased with how I was continuing to go through life. I felt like I was just clocking in on a job and leaving. You know I was making good money, but I just didn't really feel very fulfilled. I also just, you know, felt like my, I felt like I was a little more short tempered, felt like I just wasn't really, you know, all there mentally.

Speaker 2: 3:04

And when our daughter was born, I just had this kind of shift in my brain that I can't keep going down the same path. I can't keep going down the same path that our parents went down, that generations before us had gone down. I need to change something. So, literally, while on paternity leave for about three months, I started poking around different skills, different tasks and just trying to see what I could maybe do. At the time I had really no idea that I would start an e-commerce brand, because I didn't actually start the e-commerce brand until almost a year later. But I started poking around at skills I could do and basically, three and a half, four months after my daughter was born, I decided you, I think I'm gonna try to go down a different path, and I left the corporate world and started this idea of becoming an entrepreneur, becoming a solopreneur and just basically dabbling with a bunch of different stuff. So really, it was my daughter being born that completely just changed my mindset of work, wellness and all of that Got it?

Speaker 1: 4:09

And also, how did you wrestle with the fear of uncertainty? Because it's all about the society. Tell us that walking away from stability is risky and irresponsible. So what do you say?

Speaker 2: 4:26

Yeah, uncertainty, I would say. Even to this day, I mean, I'm still uncertain about a lot of things. I think you can't really go into an entrepreneurial task or adventure unless you get comfortable with the level of uncertainty. And honestly, I think you know, even becoming a parent right, like you know, there's a lot of uncertainty with becoming a dad, there's a lot of uncertainty with, you know, these major life changes. So I'm still not certain.

Speaker 2: 4:52

And I think what has helped me the most in being comfortable with being uncomfortable, being comfortable with that uncertainty, is knowing that all of us, all other men, all other people that are out there, are all also dealing with the same things. Right, we are all kind of unified by this. And to think that anyone has it all figured out, to think that everyone has the perfect plan, it's just, it's not true. So I think when you understand that we're all going through different levels of uncertainty in our life, whether it's career, whether it's as a parent or whatever, that kind of provides a little bit of solace, knowing that we're all unified by that, honestly.

Speaker 1: 5:34

Got it, got it. So also, like I think that's something a lot of guys relate to and we are taught that our value comes from being providers, from having a solid job and not rocking the boat. But what happens when that job is actually crushing your mental health? That's? The part of because I mean. I mean if we can say yeah, yeah, that's a.

Speaker 2: 6:00

It's so funny because you know when, when, when I got introduced to your podcast and just what you're, what you're creating here I was, I was really excited because exactly what you just said. That is still, to this day, one of the hardest pieces, right when I, when I decided to leave a really stable corporate job I was making really good money, I had great benefits and everything I decided to, you know, obviously, take a step back I at that point was, was not making much money at all. You know we had to move on to my wife's healthcare. You know she was, you know, then, the the main provider, and you know we my, my wife, and our family dynamic we are very much a 50, 50 split with how we take care of our daughter, with how we are raising our daughter and how we work together. You know we don't really have a lot of the normal, um, you know, gender roles. But what I will say, there is, like you said, that stigma as a man, as a guy growing up in society, that I need to be the provider, that I need to be the one that is, you know, able to protect my family and all of that, and so that that pressure was really hard. It was really really hard, um, and it was something that, honestly, me going to therapy I started therapy about five years ago Um, I would not have been able to get through those tough period of time about two years ago without my therapist.

Speaker 2: 7:18

Um, and ultimately and this is something I maybe shared, um, when I reached out to you initially about you know, just being on the podcast here because I love what you're doing is the idea of vulnerability, because, again, something that as guys, we're not really taught much growing up, we're not taught to be vulnerable. You know, we're taught that vulnerability is like a weakness and it's not something to be looked at as a strength, whereas I see vulnerability today as the biggest strength of you know a man, it's also the biggest strength, in my opinion, of you know a successful business person is someone that can be vulnerable about things working well, things not going well. And so, to your point, avik, that, with the uncertainty and also just the stigma of you know, being raised a man and being the provider, I think being vulnerable about that was a massive piece right To go to my wife and say, look, I'm struggling with this. Right, I'm really struggling with this and I need help. Kind of talking through this.

Speaker 1: 8:18

So, yeah, it was tough, it still is tough, Got it. And I mean so let's talk about the big one, the success. So you left corporate life and you built a brand with a mission, but success probably looks a lot different to you now than it, but that did a few years ago, right? So how has your definition of success changed since leaving Nightwife?

Speaker 2: 8:45

Yeah, it's a great question. My, my level of success really has changed because at the time, honestly, my level of success was kind of dictated to. You know, it was directly correlated to the amount that I earned. You know, if I was making more money I was more successful, and that's really how I saw, you know, myself and other people that I was around. But now that that has completely flipped on its head, whereas, you know, there's been months now as a freelancer, as a you know, business owner, where I've made well more than I've ever made working in the corporate world, but there's been months that I haven't, and so that that imbalance is tough.

Speaker 2: 9:21

But, to your point, right, like you know, understanding, understanding like that success can mean different things to different people.

Speaker 2: 9:30

For me now, success is being able to pick up my daughter from school at 2 pm, because I hada light day and I want to spend more time with her.

Speaker 2: 9:38

Success for me is taking off a Friday and not have to having to ask PTO, because I'm a business owner now and I decided I want taking off a Friday and not have to having to ask PTO, because I'm a business owner now and I decided I want to take a Friday off and my wife and I go get breakfast in the morning instead, right, so that to me, is success creating the time freedom that I want, um, and knowing of how I spend my time. So, um, success means a lot of things to different people, and, and so you know, ultimately it's whatever works best for you in your life. You know, I don't I don't encourage people to go down this path if it's not right for them, because truly being an entrepreneur and being a solopreneur is not for everyone, and that's okay. But you have to find what success means to you and work to achieve that every day exactly understood.

Speaker 1: 10:20

So, uh, okay, and and um, also like, uh, I have to say this, that, uh, I mean, this conversation is really a master class in taking the risk, prioritizing mental health and redefining what really matters. So if someone who's listening right now is at that crossroads, burned out, questioning what's next, then what's one thing you would tell them?

Speaker 2: 10:50

Yeah, and it's. It's great that you asked that, because I I get people reaching out to me probably at least once a day on LinkedIn, on Instagram. Um, because, now that I've kind of carved this path as someone who has, like you said, face I was dealing with a lot of burnout, a lot of mental stress, anxiety, depression, everything. The one thing that I would tell someone is you need to know what is going to help move the needle for you mentally, because, at the end of the day, I think, and I firmly believe that your mental health is probably the most important thing. Even in a lot of ways, you know, I think mental health is directly correlated to physical health, and so what I would tell someone is you need to figure out what it is that is going to help alleviate stress, anxiety in your life.

Speaker 2: 11:45

Up in a rushing household, we were always rushing everywhere, right, you know, I, I grew up and and again, and not to no fault of my parents and no fault of anyone's parents, but it was just kind of the the nature of society, and so, um, you need to take a moment to slow down and, even if you don't have kids, even if you're not trying to do a big career move, you need to figure out where your priorities lie, and a lot of that has to do with, like, looking at yourself in your mental health and seeing what can I do. That's going to be able to move the needle to help alleviate some of that stress and anxiety. Right, is it writing? Is it going for a walk? Is it taking up a new hobby? Is it, you know, getting? You know going out with friends more, whatever it is.

Speaker 2: 12:27

But you need to figure out what that is, because you know you can't just keep going from one vacation or one holiday to the next. Right, you can't just be like, oh, I can't wait for that vacation, I can't wait for that holiday because I'm so burnt out, I'm so stressed. Right, you know, I'm not saying to not have stress in your life, but you do need to understand when there is too much stress. And unfortunately our generation I think is and even, you know, the younger generations now too are facing burnout at an alarming rate and prioritizing your mental health has never been more important. So, yeah, I mean I would say you just have to start small.

Speaker 1: 13:05

Exactly exactly. And what advice would you give to the guys who feel stuck in jobs that drain them but are afraid to make a move?

Speaker 2: 13:17

Yeah, yeah, the advice that I would give is if you are looking, if you're looking to, you know, find, you know, a level of success or a level of satisfaction outside of, let's say, a job that's draining you. What I tell people all the time is write down and I know people don't like writing things down. Type it in your notes app or something, if you want. But write down the things that you are good at, that you know how to do, right. Write down skills that you know how to do. Write down things that maybe are interesting to you, that you're like. You know. I've always wondered how people do that. I've always wondered how, how, how this is done. Um, and start small, right, start kind of trying to see what is, what might be out there. And what I tell people all the time is there's a lot of opportunities for you to be able to get the satisfaction where you're pushing yourself or maybe you're not doing. You know exactly the job that you wanted to do, but there's skills in that job that you really enjoy. Well, maybe you can take those same skills and apply them to a different industry, to a completely different company, right? Maybe you just create an Upwork or a Fiverr account and you just do some freelance jobs, with no risk at all, in your weekend hours or nighttime hours and see how it goes right. That's exactly what I did.

Speaker 2: 14:34

My background over the last two years is as a copywriter in marketing. That was not my background. My background was in sales and to switch into a copywriting role I just started doing freelance jobs to see if I liked it, to see if I was any good at it. So I think that's what I would encourage people to do is you don't have to make a massive leap. You don't have to make a massive change overnight, but write down the things that you're good at and write down the things and it can be very simple things you're doing in your job. But you can see if you can apply some of those things to other areas of industries and businesses, because that might be, maybe it turns into a side hustle and the side hustle turns into your main hustle. Who knows? But you need to find something that's going to help regenerate that battery, because if you continue going on the path, you're going to go down. It's I mean, I've been there, I've seen it and it's not good. It's really not good. I'm disturbed.

Speaker 1: 15:25

That's really awesome, I have to say, great. So that's really powerful. And if there's one thing to take away from today, it's that change is hard, but staying in a life that drains you is even harder. So if you want to check out what's events building at canyon pickleball, support a brand that's doing real good and maybe even rediscover a little play in your own life, so go check them out and we'll drop all the links in the show notes for your easy reference and, as always, if this episode hit home for you, share it with a friend who needs to hear it and leave us a review. So keep this conversation going and until next time, stay strong, stay open and keep redefining what masculinity means for you. So thank you so much.