Mark Metry is a 24-year-old entrepreneur, author, creator, mental health advocate, coach, teacher, keynote speaker, podcast host, and loving human being.

Mark has interviewed over 300+ top leaders around the world from billionaire philanthropists, to neuroscientists, professional athletes, New York Times bestselling authors, philosophers, and innovative disrupters on his Top 100 Humans 2.0 podcast, which NASDAQ, and Yahoo Finance placed in the "Top 21 Growing Podcasts you must listen to..”

Now, Mark hosts the Social Anxiety Society podcast and is the bestselling author of Screw Being Shy: Learn How to Manage Social Anxiety and Be Yourself in Front of Anyone!

Mark has been featured in Forbes, TEDx, HuffPost, Mindvalley, Inc and many more. Mark‘s been mentioned alongside Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos and can be found speaking at Universities like Rutgers to Nonprofits like Coptic Orphans, to conferences and high schools across the nation.

In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Mark Metry shares with Dr. Russell Strickland his story of growing up as an introvert who went through social anxiety, and eventually, social isolation. His struggles pulled a trigger that made him realize he didn’t want to be merely a statistic and felt he needed to speak up for the sake of his younger self, thus came the book, “Screw Being Shy.” The best-selling author talks about the many opportunities that built off each other when he put his authentic self out there for the world to meet. He also discusses the three biggest things he learned to overcome anxiety. And if you haven’t heard yet, your gut microbiome is a lot more connected with anxiety than you are aware. Interesting, isn’t it? Metry explains this unique perspective and some more helpful insight on overcoming anxiety.

Mark Metry once couldn’t speak to people without the gut-wrenching aftermath of a panic attack, but now he has spoken with and for people who need his words the most.  There’s nothing wrong with you for having anxiety, and Mark can empower you with this episode.

Dr. Suzana E. Flores is clinical psychologist specializing in pop culture, mythology, and social media addiction, Keynote Speaker and author of "Untamed: The Psychology of Marvel's Wolverine" (McFarland Publishing, 2018) and "Facehooked: How Facebook Affects Our Emotions, Relationships, and Lives" (Reputation Books, 2014) with international book deals in South Korea and Poland. She currently works as a trauma specialist at Ochsner Healthcare System in New Orleans.

In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Dr. Suzana Flores speaks with Dr. Russell Strickland about the story of how she unexpectedly ended up in the comic book world as she recovered from pain and trauma. The author of “Untamed: The Psychology of Marvel’s Wolverine” shared how the X-Men character helped her turn pain into purpose, and consequently, through writing about her experiences, she has connected with people that resonated with her story of survival. Dr. Flores also discusses another book she wrote, “Facehooked,” which talks about the psychological effect of social media. She discovered many profound realizations about the younger generation’s dependence on social media, one of which is their utter discomfort in conversational pauses. Having the first name “Doctor” has opened up opportunities for Dr. Flores, and she’s prepared to seize some more.

Life certainly doesn’t get easier, but you get strong and ready enough to face whatever comes your way. Learn about resilience and more from Dr. Suzana Flores.

As a child, you were probably asked multiple times about your dreams. And, as a child your answer was probably something fantastical: firefighter, ballerina, football player, and, maybe, doctor.

Dr. Derichard McCoy is a Charlotte, NC native. He attended Livingstone College in Salisbury NC where he received a BS in Sport Management. He then went on to receive his MS in Education specializing in Sports Management from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale FL.

Dr. McCoy earned his Doctorate of Education in Sports Management with an emphasis in Sport Leadership from the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, AL. He is currently the Athletic Director and Health/Physical Education Teacher at Mountain Island Lake Academy and the Varsity Defensive Line Coach at Providence Day School.

Dr. McCoy consults with the Group of 5 college football coaches, helping them to better compete with the Power 5 programs within the Football Bowl Subdivision.

In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Dr. Derichard McCoy shares with Dr. Russell Strickland how his childhood dreams were always about football and how these dreams motivated him to ultimately earn his doctorate in sports management. A first-generation college student, Derichard took football as far as he could on the field before he made an unlikely transition... effectively getting his doctorate in football. Dr. McCoy talks about how he found Dissertation Done and got the help he needed to push through to graduation. Now that he’s finally done, he gives his heartfelt advice to students on finishing what they started.

Many life circumstances compel us to take a different route. Dr. McCoy may not have ended up as the football player he had dreamed to be, but he certainly created his own destiny and took his football dreams to the next level. Are you ready to create yours? Helmets on as Dr. McCoy shares how to run your own route to success!