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Join James Petrossi in 'Leave the Feed: 30 Days of Disconnect' as he interviews creators and mental health advocates about their journeys, the digital quagmire, and tips to create a healthier relationship with social media.
[00:00:00]
James Petrossi: Hello and welcome to Leave the Feed 30 Days of Disconnect. Today is 17 wise choices and a wise human with me, Juan Faura, welcome to the show.
Juan Faura: For having me, James, excited to be here.
James Petrossi: Oh, thanks so much. It's great to reconnect. You are one of the original contributors of Leave the Feed. Disconnect to reconnect. And before we get into choosing wisely and wise choices in life as a creator and just as a a human, let's hear about your story.
What sparked this passion for the creator of economy and where has this journey taken you?
Juan Faura: Totally. Yeah. So to start off, I wanna thank my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. I, in college, went to Penn State thought I wanted to be a Wall Street kid, and wanted to pursue the finance track. Realized quickly that wasn't for me. And [00:01:00] so through NIL, which is name, image likeness, allowing college athletes to monetize.
That sparked my interest for sports and entertainment and through experiences of representing college athletes in college and starting my own venture where I was representing some of the top gymnasts, I stumbled upon this thing called the Creator Economy in October of 2024. When I ended up joining a company called Night Media, which represents some of the top creators across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and I've been at the epicenter of, I guess, internet culture now for the last year and some change, and it's been amazing.
Been able to work with some fascinating talent and yeah, I would say spawned is my experience within sports and entertainment in college that transcended over to you know, the creator economy.
James Petrossi: So talk about that transition in college where you think you're going down one direction, then you're going into another. What was it like to take that leap of faith and what did you have? Have to release to do that. And what were some of the challenges you faced in that [00:02:00] process?
Juan Faura: Totally. Yeah. I think a lot of times when you come into college, you have these goals and ambitions and you think it, it's gonna be the way that you want it to be, and it's gonna be a straight path. But in reality for not everyone, sometimes that's the case and you know exactly what you want, but. Through exploration, through different internships, through different opportunities, and through different conversations.
That's what it took and, and those were kind of some of the things where it's like, am I wasting my time? There was a point where I'm like, I'm doing all this networking. I'm doing all these, I'm going to all these events. I'm doing this internship over the summer, spending three months of my time every single day just to find out I don't like it.
Am I wasting my time? But I think. Through that process, one of the lessons I learned is like, that's what it sometimes takes. Sometimes part of your time as an 18 to 22-year-old, is actually figuring out what you don't like rather than what you do like, because that allows you to check the box off and it gets you that much closer to actually finding your true purpose.
And so I would say that's kind of my framework that I played within was when it came to navigating what are some of my interests. And look, I'll be frank with you, James. [00:03:00] Right now I'm in the creator economy, specifically within podcasting and, and representing podcasters. Th that could change, and I'd be back to sports and entertainment within the next two years.
But I know that at my core I wanna represent talent and I wanna represent, you know, the, the brightest minds when it comes to creative. And so that took time though of taking an internship my sophomore year that took time. Having all the networking with different people in various industries within finance, service, or consulting or other respective you know, industries.
So I think the game is patience and understanding that it's part of the process. You don't need to have it figured out at 20.
James Petrossi: With NIL, name, image, and likeness. When that was all happening within college sports. about that time and what it was like working with athletes for the first time that can use their NIL.
Juan Faura: So when it comes to college athletes, yeah. You know, a lot of kids when you go to college, they're like, there's like this wall I noticed where there's normal students and there's the athletes. At least at a school like Penn State, that's massive.
It's a Power five conference. [00:04:00] You know, one of the best in sports and there's like a disconnect and I'm like, well, there's 40-year-old agents that talk to these guys. When they go to potentially go to the NNBA or NFL for those two main sports. But who's helping the gymnast? Who's helping the soccer player?
Who's helping the men's hockey player? Like no one's really paying attention to those sports. And more importantly, they want to be able to have a relatability aspect 'cause they're navigating this on their own. Right. Also while navigating college as a whole experience. And so. That was very interesting for me dumping into that head first, and that's where I found the gap and that's where I found the opportunity was.
There's 30 and 4-year-old agents that are trying to navigate NIL, which is primarily based in social media. It's not your, like your typical, Hey, I'm a junior. I'm, I'm leaving college to go to end of MBA and I need a on, I need someone that's gonna negotiate my contract. This is, Hey, I wanna partner with local businesses.
I wanna build my social media so I can do my own summer camp where I can do my own venture and build a business around my name. Knowing how to play within that framework and being on campus with [00:05:00] them on site and just being one of their buddies it allowed me to step into that and it was a really, a great experience.
It was definitely an up and down cycle. I learned a ton just figuring it out on the spot. I'll tell you kind of my first breakthrough client, if you will, was Jordan Bowers. She's a University of Oklahoma gymnast. She ended up winning the national Championship last year. And just being around a talent who was kind of one of the faces of her sport and the pressure that came with that of, hey, if I'm not delivering, like she could, she could fire me and go to and and find someone else.
'cause there were people trying to work with her as in being her management. And so being on top of it and really being organized, which made me realize what it takes to really be successful in this industry. I got a taste of it. Right. So yeah.
James Petrossi: What about the commitment from the athlete side? Typically when you think of college athletes, it's like I'm doing doubles, triples a day, practicing, and now all of a sudden I have a new commitment [00:06:00] and that commitment's image, my social media, and keeping up on all of that. How do they manage that time and what stresses does it put on them?
Juan Faura: That's the golden question. James, some athletes, right, understood the value of NIL and how you could capitalize it, not from a solely monetarily perspective, but actually from how can this help build my personal brand? I think a lot of times when NIL start it, it's now four years in.
People are like, oh, NIL and understandably so. Right now I can make money, money, money, money, money, money. But like they didn't realize like this more, it's a bigger picture. Like I think of NIL as if I wanna be a personal trainer. What if I partnered with a supplement company like First Form, who has a personal training program that if I become a sponsored athlete while I'm a college student.
That I can get an internship program from this opportunity of promoting their brand on social media. And I did so well for them. And then they're like, Hey, by the way, I know you're interested in being a personal trainer. What if you come hire you as an intern? Like it's so much bigger than, Hey, I did a $10,000 [00:07:00] brand deal.
And to, and so to answer your question about like how do they navigate it? I think some athletes realize like that opportunity, but others are just like. Yeah, I'm not gonna post on my social media unless I get paid $5,000. And that's unfortunate because they're, I don't think they're seeing the bigger picture.
And so, yes, some athletes were hard navigating, you know, telling them like, Hey, I have an opportunity for you. All you need to do is post it. And it, it just took 'em so much for them to get an Instagram story of, and then others are like asking the question of how do I really make this for my career? How do I really expand upon this?
So yeah.
James Petrossi: Yeah, because eventually at some point for most college athletes, the journey stops after graduation and what next? So if you can do these light engagements and touches with
Juan Faura: That's right.
James Petrossi: get inside, that can help fuel that next element of your trajectory. I mean, we see so many former athletes when I worked with the NFL or the NBA, that's where they all come from.
They all have that background. Very [00:08:00] interesting.
In terms of mental health, on a different side of the creator economy, right? You're helping fuel the creator economy with what you do. You're not necessarily pumping out five posts a day for yourself, but mental health is a huge part of this equation.
And just your general perspective of social media, mental health, from the lens that you've participated it in, and also how has it impacted you as well?
Juan Faura: Yeah, being brutally honest with you and, and not sugarcoating it. For me personally, I think that comparison is the thief of joy, and I think unfortunately social media. Has created some of that where you see people, whether it's flexing different accomplishments and it, it's almost become a PR stunt, right?
And you're seeing all their best moments. I think before we were recording, we were talking about how we're kind of seeing that shed back a little bit where we're actually seeing more authenticity, which I think is great for the platforms. But yeah, it's definitely interesting and like I said, I definitely struggled, especially in [00:09:00] college, being as ambitious as I was.
Seeing like, oh my gosh, this person at my age or two years older is bawling right now. They got the jet or they're you know, balling in Miami or they're doing their thing. And, and the reality is, is like everyone's running their own race and you never see the other side of the equation. Someone could have a private jet, someone could have a car, someone could have the house.
But is their soul at peace. And I think that's kinda the framework that I like to live in. And so do you answer your point of how does it navigate mental health and what are my thoughts on the platforms and social as a whole? I think social is actually a great thing. It's the way you approach it and actually interact with it, right?
If you whole, if you're going on social media and your goal is just to show your best moments. Right. By default, that is what is created. But I think there's a way to be able to, like for someone, I'll give you a great example of why social media is great if you're a small business owner, right? Back in the day, you would have to do magazine promotion.
You would have to get billboards. You can literally buy a [00:10:00] touch of this. Have a full-time, business, let's say it's meal prep. You could have a full-time meal prep business by just posting content, posting what's on the menu for the week, and building an entire infrastructure that actually could support a family through a literally this.
And that's crazy. And so that's a benefit of social and I think it's great on that lens. But from the mental health perspective, like I mentioned, comparison is probably the biggest thief of, is the thief of joy, and it's created that environment. But I also think it's like that's where it creates that self-accountability of understanding that that's, that's not the framework we need to live in.
And, and, and think of social as a way to connect with others, not to compare, connect versus compare. That's what I always say.
James Petrossi: Yeah, I mean, it is very difficult when social media becomes the thief of joy through those comparisons. But there are joyous moments in it, and I think. Social media lifts people up. It helps people. We hear amazing stories on this podcast about transforming [00:11:00] people's lives from being depressed and lonely to a content creator that are, they're helping people. What do you hope to bring into the world as someone who's helped fueling the creator economy? What's your vision for the future of where you'd like to see the industry go?
Juan Faura: Yeah. For me, what's been interesting over the last three months, I would say, is this idea of a redemptive framework. And what I mean by that is. A redemptive approach to business. I think we live in a space where ambition and success is, and, and hard work is very idolized, and you should do all those things.
Hard work, dedication, all that. How do we live in a redemptive framework where it's not about us, right? A lot of people, when they're having these things within the creator economy, it's how do I get to 20 million subscribers? How do I get the car? How do I get X, Y, Z, right? How do I get this brand deal?
It always starts with I in the creator economy, and I think that's an issue. Rather than, what can I do for [00:12:00] my subscribers? What can I do for, you know, X, whatever it is, right? I think we need to start thinking more like that because. Everyone says they want a community when they're building the creator.
I hear so many creators. I wanna build a community and and road to like 1 million subscribers. But in reality, that community, you scratch it off, it equals customers. You just want customers. You want people to buy your merch. You want people to buy tickets to your live tour. And there's not necessarily inherently wrong with that, but it's very self-centered.
And I think there's a way, like if you truly wanna have success, I think how do we redefine that by. Being more community centered and like what's in it for them rather than yourself. Because naturally when you focus on them and the audience, they're gonna stay that much more loyal 'cause they're gonna be like, wow, I actually have one relatability aspect to the creator and I actually can resonate with what they're talking about.
Two, they actually care to like really build a genuine connection [00:13:00] with what they're doing and that's gonna make me wanna invest so much more. Like my favorite creators are people that I genuinely feel like. I'm excited for when they're coming out their next video because they're like making it about us, if that makes sense.
James Petrossi: That makes total sense now. Let's shift gears today's topics about making wise choices. We've talked about some wise choices that you can make as a creator. Let's talk about you, choices you've had to make. What are some of the challenges or departure moments or those transitions that you've made as you've entered the creator economy and, and how you've navigated those?
Juan Faura: A big one. This is a great question. Easy stopping my own company to fly out to la. So for context, I'm from Pennsylvania. I've lived there my entire 22, 22 years of my life. I was doing my own company, my senior year of college going post grad. That was the goal was to build out my agency.
I was getting traction and I [00:14:00] had to make a really tough decision to stop that, stop working with my clients, to fly to LA to take a chance on this thing called Night Media and the, and the Creator economy, and really diving into it head first. 'cause like I said, I came from the sports and athlete world.
That was a really difficult decision to make, to go from sports and athlete to creator economy focus, YouTube heavy. And at the time I was really nervous about it 'cause I was like, man, I just was getting the ground running with my company. I was getting some serious, like some good traction and if I would've stuck with it, I really felt confident of where we were going.
But you know, I will say this in life, so the difficult, most difficult decisions sometimes lead to the most fruit and it definitely did. So I'm glad I was able to, you know, take that risk and understand that. Uncomfortability is actually where most growth happens.
James Petrossi: Let's talk about faith and how faith has played a role. guiding you through these chapters.
Juan Faura: It's been everything for me. James, I think like when I moved to LA I [00:15:00] knew some people, but I didn't know a lot of people. And again, it was much of a culture shock and having that as my core and understanding that like I am nothing without him like my Lord Savior and that he's granted me all these opportunities.
'cause like in reality, none of it's mine. My business I owned. The career I have, the different people that I've been able to meet. None of it's mine. It's all his. 'cause he was blessed that in my life. And he could also take it away from me, right? Like what if it comes to my health, if he wants to, for me to have health complications tomorrow, I'm still gonna glorify him the same way because he's just putting me through that challenge and experience to be as a test of how much do I actually trust in him because.
You know, people like to say the word faith. I I, I'm sure you've seen, but there's been this like revival in the last year there's been so much more, even just in the creator economy specifically, there's been so many more Christian influencers or people of spiritual like faith and there's been a very big push of that from the Bryce [00:16:00] Crawfords, Forrest Franks Girls Gum Bible.
There's a lot of creator George Jenko. So a lot of creators coming out and sp speaking about their faith. But the reality is is like that is all great, but it's like how are we doing that on a daily basis and how are we making it our actual core rather than just posting about it. So to answer your question, that was long-winded.
It's the backbone of what I do and it's how I try to, going back to my point of approach, what I'm trying to bring to the creator economy is a more redemptive framework rather than it being praising things that I think are not things to praise. So.
James Petrossi: Now in the journey of life, and you mentioned it like we're tested on a day-to-day, moment to moment basis. We can't predict what happens. When you do feel yourself challenged with a choice, and it could be the choice to respond with anger or respond with love, it could be the choice to eat something healthy or indulge in something that maybe you shouldn't eat.
Like how does [00:17:00] that faith guide those choices and how do you stay vigilant over society's impact? Social media's impact to make sure that you stay on a, a faith-driven course.
Juan Faura: I'll be honest. That's, that's a great question. It's something that I battle with every day. I think, you know, we like to say in the faith that like sometimes our flesh, we let our human desires sometimes take over and it's a constant battle each day. I think it goes back to like. Building a relationship with him and like you know, understanding that like I can't do it on my own in these tough decisions and these tough predicaments, like lean on him, right?
And so talk that, whether that's through conversation with him, reading his word fellowship, which is like getting to know people. That's why Ally's been so impactful for me, getting to know other people that are also seeking the same thing. And passion, like your surroundings is so important whether you're in faith or not.
Like having just like-minded people that can help you navigate those, to your point, tough decisions, tough situations when you don't know the [00:18:00] answer. Because a lot of times when we're in those situations, we think we have the answer when in reality you could just try to seek it. Understanding from an outside perspective and kind of drop the ego.
James Petrossi: Sometimes when those moments strike, we feel like the weight's all on our shoulders and our world's imploding, and
Juan Faura: Yeah.
James Petrossi: have that community, to have people that we can rely on, and that's one of the reasons. We created Leave the Feed. 'cause we have all these great creators, people interested in the creator economy, supporting people that are trying to have a healthier relationship with social media.
Now that being said, there are some people that are listening to this, that are going on a 30 day disconnection journey. They're about halfway through. We're really proud of 'em. There's others that are just looking to get inspired by ideas like being more redemptive with social media. What advice would you have for anyone that feels like they're struggling with their relationship with social media a fan or as a creator?
Juan Faura: I think the first thing is to ask yourself, [00:19:00] why are you on the platform? I think we too, all too often we're just naturally thrown onto it, whether it's as a creator or as a fan, like we're, we're just like immersed into it just by default. And I think we have to really ask ourselves, why are we on this platform?
Why are we following this person? Why am I posting these videos? That's where I think at the groundwork and when you really do a deep dive of that. I think it will really help you understand like are the actions I'm doing based on that, why aligning with that or getting me closer to whatever that why is, or is it, like I said, alignment?
And if it's not, I think then you'll be able to have a easier time. Having a way to navigate it. So for an example, if you're struggling out there with, oh my gosh, all I do when I wake up is I go on my phone and I scroll and I scroll, scroll, scroll, and then I'm depressed 'cause I'm unproductive. And then I, and I waste two hours of my day figure out why are you going and scrolling?
I have a rules. Thumb me and shout out Justin Leasner. There [00:20:00] we have this thing called the five whys. Really break down each layer. Like, why am I on, why am I going when I wake up on my phone to go on social media? Because like, I wanna see what's going on. Well, why do you wanna see what's going on?
And like, basically break that down. And that's gonna really give you your true reason of why you're doing what you're doing. And that's gonna, I think, open up a lot of answers to how you actually go about removing that or lessening that. And so if your goal. Is to completely shut off social media. How do we do that in a practical way and that works for you?
And I understand this, right? People are like, well, if you don't wanna be on social media, then just delete the apps. But that, that's just not, I think, an effective way. I think there's a way to slowly remove things and what whatever works. So that would be my advice, is really get to know your why.
Behind being on the platform for either side of the equation, being a creator or being a fan. And if you feel called to stop do a deep dive on yourself to [00:21:00] help find practical ways to actually remove it. Because all too often people will go a week without being on social media, but then they go in the same rat race and then they just get in the same cycle.
And so how do you actually really transform your mind when it comes to social and your relationship?
James Petrossi: Yeah, that why is so important. I don't think a lot of people realize why they're consuming and also how it's impacting them and talk about that. Unconscious consumption of content and making that choice to blindly follow negative talk and how that impacts the self. Like why is it such an important choice just to consume things that are healthy for us in the social space and why it's so hard for people to make that choice.
Juan Faura: Well, one, it's hard to make that choice 'cause transparently, not, not to out any of the platforms, but the algorithm is meant to like, feed you stuff that you like watching or that you think [00:22:00] you like watching, right? So if you get caught up watching, I don't know, people talking about what's going on in, from a political standpoint or what's going on in in the markets, like it's gonna continue to feed that.
And then you just constantly are just seeing that all the time, 24 7. And if it's negative energy or if it, whatever, like it, it is just not good. And so I think the platforms, unfortunately, you know, that's how the algorithm works, is it's gonna feed you things and, and then you get consumed by it. And so it's really like taking a stand of like.
I'm personally not an advocate of like, let's take a stand and like, no more Facebook and like no more Instagram and like we should ban the platforms. Like when people are like doing the whole ban TikTok, right? Like I think it's more, I don't think it's necessarily about banning a a platform. I think it's about figuring out a way and how do we get to a place where we're going on social.
That is for a place of love and because when you think of social, [00:23:00] the reason it was created in the first place was from a connectivity perspective. It was a faster way for a human to a human to connect with each other. Whether that's seeing someone's birthday, whether that's seeing someone on a trip, it was a way to create a meaningful connection.
Unfortunately, it's now transformed into a competition. That's what I would say to that.
James Petrossi: Very true. It has become a competition and the competition unfortunately, can be very hurtful not only to that we're tearing down in these social spaces, but also for ourselves and our self-worth, and trying to measure up to something that maybe isn't right for us and finding that. Ability to nurture our spirit and the direction that we wanna go.
Juan Faura: That's right.
James Petrossi: what, what's next for you, like down the road? Where do you see yourself going and your vision for where you wanna take the future of, of your being?
Juan Faura: [00:24:00] Well, I appreciate you asking. Yeah. I think for me it's just continuing to be a follower of Christ and seeing where that leads me. Right. From a personal perspective as well as professionally you know. He says this in the Bible, like you can have your visions, but God will show you your steps.
And I think like that's the framework I like to play in. And that's like the way I'm trying to approach and that's my game plan. And so to answer your question, James, like I just wanna seek him and I feel like he'll show me my ways in terms of people, different people I'm gonna meet, what professions I will pursue.
I'll tell you this. From a professional perspective, one thing I know is that the minute I get stagnant in any sort of role or any sort of career, it's time for me to change. And I advise that for anyone don't ever get stagnant in this world. We only have one life. And so always, constantly be learning.
I don't care if you're the CEO of Fortune 500 company, they still read eight to 10 books a year. So there's always learning, there's always opportunities to grow. And yeah, I'm loving it being in the [00:25:00] creator economy, so if that's where he wants me to be, I'll, I'll continue to be it. And yeah, I, I just wanna say a quick shout out to Reid Ducker and Ezra Stein, president, CEO of night for taking a chance on me last year.
I just hit a year, about three weeks ago. And it's been an absolute pleasure working for those two. They've, you know, worked with some of the biggest talent within the creator economy, but more importantly than that. Is that they're great people and they're great leaders and you know, I, I think it's right for me to, to give 'em a shout out.
But I gotta say this, Reid, you don't know how to predict college football games better than me. So that's what I will say.
James Petrossi: And I also wanna say I'm extremely grateful. you as part of this project. I know that we got to reconnect after about a year, and now that you're out on the West coast, it's really awesome. So thank you for being such an inspiring guest with your story and help people make more sense of navigating choices in life and social media and being more redemptive with how they handle their relationship with these platforms.
So thank you so [00:26:00] much.
Juan Faura: Well, thank you guys again for this opportunity and I'll leave you with this. I have a little saying that's be transformational, not transactional. And one last thing, word of the day today is gonna be grateful because I'm grateful for James giving me the opportunity to be on this platform. Anytime you want to connect, hit me on LinkedIn, Juan Faura always down to chat and yeah.
James Petrossi: Thanks so much. Thank you everyone for listening. Share leave the feed with a friend. Don't be afraid to disconnect and have an epic day. Thank you so much.
Juan Faura: Let's do it.