How He Landed Brands Like Adobe, Red Bull & Young LA at 22 | ft. Vlad Nikiforov

The World is Collapsing. Here's Why That's Good News For You.

Everything you were told you'd grow up into doesn't exist anymore. AI is coming for your career. Rent doesn't math. You can't go to Thanksgiving anymore. And underneath all of it, there's this feeling you might not even say out loud... that you don't know how to build a life from here. You're not broken. You're paying attention. Every time a generation has felt this, the same thing has happened next. And nobody's told you about it yet. In this episode, I break down why the collapse you're feeling isn't the end of anything, it's the start of the most wide-open opportunity window your generation will ever get. We get into the Napoleon story (yes, really), why the people who are about to win aren't who you think, and the one thing the new game rewards that the old game never did. You are not too late. You are so, so early. If you're 18-26 and you've been feeling like something is fundamentally wrong, this one is for you. Send it to a homie you want to be ahead of the game with. — If you need the episode for when shit actually hits the fan and the anxiety is taking over, go check out Episode 4: Ambition is Hard. I recorded it sitting on a toilet in front of the ocean during one of the worst days I've had building this thing. It's the other side of this conversation. — — 00:00 if you're in your 20s and feel like something is wrong 01:00 you're not broken, you're paying attention 02:30 ok let me tell you a story 07:00 here's who's actually about to lose this decade 10:00 delete your chatgpt (i'm not joking) 18:00 the era is forcing us to be human again 24:00 you're not late. you're so early. — — Subscribe for more conversations for The Kids Like Us. DMs are open: @sydmeyer

How He Landed Brands Like Adobe, Red Bull & Young LA at 22 | ft. Vlad Nikiforov

Vlad had six months to learn English or get sent back to Russia.. No film school. No connections. A phone and pirated editing software he couldn't afford. That's where this episode starts. With a 13-year-old kid who didn't speak a word of English, opening Google Translate while the other kids opened Snapchat. Ten years later, Vlad Nikifarov (aka Vlad) is a 22-year-old creative director and videographer in Minneapolis. He lands brand deals with Adobe, Young LA, and Delinquents Truly. He gets paid to travel. He lives with the same creators he used to watch on YouTube before he ever picked up a camera. But this conversation isn't as much "stategy" as it is a story underneath the story. The doubt. The loneliness of not having friends who speak your language. The first paid gig for $150. Working at Marshalls with headphones in, listening to the guy who would eventually fly him to LA. The shoots where he went completely mute because he was so deep in his head. The moment it felt weird to call himself an artist and the day he claimed it anyway. If you've ever felt like the dream is for other people, this one is deadass for you. In this episode: * How Vladka landed brand deals with Adobe, Red Bull & Young LA with zero connections * The green card lottery win and the six-month ultimatum that followed * Why calling yourself a creator feels weird when nobody in your family is one * The spec ad strategy that got Yes Theory to DM him in 20 minutes * How he funded his first camera, then quit the job and went full time * Why your creative passion should be the full-time and rent money the side gig * The biggest mistake young videographers make (and the habit that fixes it) * How to engineer your authority before you feel qualified * The DM that turned a Marshalls shift into a flight to LA * The truth about being terrified on big sets, even after you've "made it" Find Vlad on Instagram (work) — https://www.instagram.com/vladdkkaa/ [https://www.instagram.com/vladdkkaa/] Personal — https://www.instagram.com/vladsjournal [https://www.instagram.com/vladsjournal] 00:00 — From pirated software to Adobe 06:20 — Six months to learn English or get sent back 09:45 — "If I can learn English, what else can I learn?" 18:42 — First gig: $150 (and what it taught him) 25:50 — How Adobe actually reached out 32:10 — The Marshalls voice memo that changed everything 41:18 — The Yes Theory spec ad that worked in 20 minutes 1:02:15 — The biggest mistake young creators make 1:14:50 — Why it felt weird to call himself an artist 1:26:40 — For the kid who feels meant for more Kids Like Us is the podcast for ambitious 18–30 year olds who feel something needs to change but don't know where to start. Hosted by Syd Meyer: 22-year-old agency owner, sponsored kiteboarder, filmmaker, and world traveler who built this because she needed it when it didn't exist. Real stories. Raw conversations. Evidence that the life you picture is closer than you think. New episodes weekly. Subscribe/follow so you don't miss the next one.

New Entrepreneur? Watch This First ft. Ella Herbert

Starting a business when you're scared to be seen? This one's for you. New entrepreneur. Real conversation. No filter. ft. Ella Herbert ---------------------------------------- Ella typed out a post yesterday. Had it ready. Caption written. Video filmed. And then she stopped herself. Changed it from a Reel to a Story because she got scared of what people would think. That's where this episode starts — not at the finish line, not with someone who figured it all out — but right in the middle of the fear, with someone who is Day 1, doing it anyway. Ella Herbert is building EllaVate Wellness from scratch. Health coaching, moving to Texas, zero clients, zero blueprint. Just a dream and a whole lot of "what if nobody gets it." And I'm right there with her — because four months ago I made a decision to stop posting and start treating my content like a scientist treats data. No more throwing things at the wall. No more hoping something lands. In the last 30 days that decision generated 3.6 million views. This episode is the unfiltered conversation I wish someone had with me at the beginning. The stuff they don't tell you. The stuff that actually moves the needle when you're scared, broke on ideas, and building something from nothing. If you've ever typed something out and talked yourself out of posting it — this one is deadass for you. ---------------------------------------- In this episode: * Why the fear of being seen is a wall you built yourself * The content funnel that takes someone from stranger to paying client * Storytelling: why we connect through pain and how to build trust fast * The viral format working right now on Instagram in 2026 * Why LinkedIn is 2008 YouTube and nobody in your circle knows it yet * How to use AI without losing what makes you, you * Why going niche feels wrong but is the only way forward * The moment I spent two years stuck — and what finally changed ---------------------------------------- Find Ella: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellavate.wellness/ [https://www.instagram.com/ellavate.wellness/] Personal: https://www.instagram.com/ellamherbert [https://www.instagram.com/ellamherbert] ---------------------------------------- 00:00 — How we met & why this episode exists 02:00 — Ella's business: EllaVate Wellness & the health journey behind it 04:48 — Are you scared? We ball. 06:52 — The brutal grind: what building behind the scenes actually looks like 08:55 — LinkedIn in 2026: the opportunity nobody in your circle is using 12:05 — The content funnel explained (whiteboard breakdown) 16:22 — Storytelling: how you get people to love you 22:44 — The viral format working right now & why keywords matter 26:54 — Nobody is thinking about you tomorrow 28:43 — "I don't know if I should post this" — Ella's real moment 39:40 — AI, niching down & building your brand framework live 45:46 — Two years. No results. The pain of staying the same.

From Pre-Med to Entrepreneur (After 5 Career Pivots) ft. Chris Gleadall

He was on track for medical school. Instead, he pivoted...again… and again… and again. Five different career paths later, he finally built something of his own. Traveling the world, running his business, and buying gear he never thought he could afford. ---------------------------------------- What You’ll Learn: * How to pivot when you don’t know what you want * The real cost of staying on the wrong path * How Chris went from pre-med to running a business * Why most people stay stuck in careers they don’t want * How to turn curiosity into something that actually pays $$$$ ---------------------------------------- About Chris: Chris Gleadall is an entrepreneur and business owner who walked away from the traditional path and built a career around creativity, autonomy, and ownership. ---------------------------------------- Full Context: This episode is about what it actually looks like to figure your life out in real time. Chris started on the pre-med track, with a clear path laid out in front of him. But instead of committing, he pivoted—multiple times. Pilot, EMT, creator, and more. Each path taught him something, but none of them fully clicked. Eventually, that led him to entrepreneurship. We talk about the pressure to follow a “safe” career, the fear of wasting time, and why most people stay stuck even when they know something isn’t right. If you’re in your 20s trying to figure out your path—or questioning the one you’re on—this episode will give you a more honest look at what it takes to build something for yourself. ---------------------------------------- Find Chris: Instagram: @lead.shots [https://www.instagram.com/lead.shots/] Keys Media Studio Website [https://keysmediastudio.com/] CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro — The Path That Almost Locked Him In 02:10 Growing Up With a “Safe” Career Plan (Pre-Med) 05:30 The Pressure to Stay on the Traditional Path 09:20 Realizing “This Isn’t My Life” 13:10 The Fear of Wasting Years of School 17:40 First Pivot — Trying a Different Direction 21:30 Bouncing Between Career Paths (Pilot, EMT, etc.) 26:50 Why Nothing Felt Right 31:20 Identity Crisis — “Who Am I Actually?” 36:00 Moving to Charleston & Starting Over 40:10 Early Struggles Chasing Something Different 44:30 Turning Curiosity Into Opportunity 48:20 The Shift Into Entrepreneurship 52:10 Making Money for the First Time on His Own 56:00 Why Most People Stay Stuck 59:10 Letting Go of Other People’s Expectations 1:02:00 Final Advice — Choosing Your Own Path

Ambition Is Hard | What to Do When Sh*t Hits the Fan

Being ambitious is hard. Nobody talks about the days when everything feels like too much. The to-do list is overwhelming. Business is hard. Your brain spirals. And suddenly it feels like everything is collapsing at once. This episode is for when sh*t hits the fan. Motivation is not always high, Things are not always moving like they should. Its for that exact moment when things feel heavy and you’re trying to figure out how to move forward. Because sometimes the problem isn’t your situation. It’s that you mistake your perception on the day for the truth of the world. And when you zoom out far enough, your problems look very different. In this episode we talk about: • What to do when overwhelm hits • Why ambitious people struggle more with pressure • The execution-to-idea gap • How creativity can pull you out of mental spirals • Why zooming out to the scale of the universe changes everything If you're ambitious, building something, or trying to create a life that doesn't follow the normal path… this episode is for you. Especially on the days when it feels like everything is falling apart. ---------------------------------------- Watch the full episode: YouTube: https://youtu.be/VIDEO_LINK_HERE [https://youtu.be/VIDEO_LINK_HERE] ---------------------------------------- Connect Kids Like Us All socials: https://linktr.ee/thekidslikeus [https://linktr.ee/thekidslikeus] Syd Meyer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syd.mmeyer [https://www.instagram.com/syd.mmeyer] ---------------------------------------- Chapters 0:00 – Trespassing on a stolen toilet 0:35 – When shit hits the fan 1:45 – The day everything felt overwhelming 4:10 – Why ambition and entrepreneurship are mentally hard 7:05 – The execution to idea gap 10:20 – Turning sadness into creation 14:40 – Anxiety and the future spiral 18:30 – Getting back to the present moment 23:15 – Why perspective changes everything 28:10 – Billions of galaxies and the scale of your problems 32:45 – The probability that you even exist 36:00 – Why ambitious people can’t give up 40:30 – Let art take over 45:10 – When your best ideas show up unexpectedly 50:00 – Final perspective shift ---------------------------------------- If this episode helped you, send it to someone who might need it today. Sometimes one conversation can change how someone sees their entire situation.