SOLO | Make Money by Changing What Isn’t Working - Travis Makes Money

Travis Makes Money – SOLO | Make Money by Changing What Isn’t Working

Host: Travis Chappell
Date: March 20, 2026

Episode Overview

In this solo episode, Travis Chappell delivers a candid and motivating discussion on the necessity of change when your current life or career isn’t delivering the fulfillment or results you want. Drawing from his own journey—leaving ministry for sales, navigating toxic work environments, and making big life pivots—Travis unpacks the critical importance of taking proactive ownership over your environment, goals, expectations, and attitude if you desire to “make money by changing what isn’t working.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Travis’s Story: From Ministry Aspirant to Sales Leader

Background & Early Career:
- Travis recounts how he planned to devote his life to ministry after a childhood commitment, earning a Bible and Church Ministries degree.
- During college, he entered door-to-door solar sales, quickly out-earning what he’d have made in ministry and getting promoted to team leader.
  - “I was already making, like, more than double of what anyone was going to pay me in the ministry position I was supposed to be taking. But the money was a factor, sure, it was also I didn’t enjoy the work.” (08:45)
Crucial Self-Realization:
- Realized he “didn’t want to do this” during a church internship, yet struggled to express these doubts in a community that denied this type of questioning.
  - “Inside of the world that I grew up in, these are questions that you’re not really allowed to say out loud.” (12:03)

2. Navigating Career Transition & Toxic Corporate Culture

Post-College Work Decisions:
- Chose a part-time church role (to appease expectations) and stayed in sales, shifting companies and eventually taking a salaried job just to qualify for a home loan.
- Experiences in the “lowest on the totem pole” corporate role were distinctly negative. Travis laments the rigid hierarchy and lack of recognition for proven experience.
  - “...some corporate bullshit that I never got on board with.” (20:30)
Memorable Story: The Home Depot Bucket Incident (24:30)
- Travis describes being berated by management for sitting on a Home Depot bucket, unknown to him as a prohibited act.
  - “If you didn’t want me to sit down, you should have told me not to sit down...You need to do a better job at training me...Who cares? If I am producing, which I was...Why are we—who cares? You’re babysitting me like I’m a child.” (28:50)
- Frustrated by micromanagement and a lack of value for performance, this situation catalyzed his reflection on change.

3. The Core Message: If You’re Unhappy, Something Must Change

Life Doesn’t “Owe” You Your Dreams (35:50)
- Travis stresses: checking life’s boxes (good family, college degree, job) doesn’t guarantee fulfillment or success.
  - “Life does not owe you your dreams just because you are born on this planet or born in this country.” (36:06)
Four Areas for Change (37:00)
- Environment: Change where you work/live if your daily life makes you miserable.
  - “If I am unhappy doing the thing I’m doing with the majority of my waking hours, then the first thing that I look to change is my environment.” (37:18)
- Goals: Adjust your ambitions if you’re not willing to alter your circumstances to pursue them.
  - “If you don’t want to do that, then you’re going to have to change your goals...Maybe I’m cool with only taking one vacation every two years instead of three vacations every year.” (39:22)
- Expectations: Make your desires more realistic if you won’t change your approach.
  - “You cannot expect to live a long, happy, healthy life when you spend the majority of your waking hours doing something that you hate doing.” (40:01)
- Attitude: Adopt gratitude and contentment if the above are off the table.
  - “If you can be content and grateful in any situation, then that is a superpower.” (44:58)
Courage to Change
- Travis emphasizes the necessity and challenge of change:
  - “Something has to change. If you’re upset with where you currently are, something has to change.” (45:35)
- He recalls quitting his only 9-to-5 just two days after closing on the house, articulating his desire to escape being micromanaged.
  - “As soon as I had clarity about that, it wasn’t even a decision anymore. It was just like, I called my manager and said I quit and it was done.” (47:00)

4. Final Takeaways & Motivation

Empowerment Over Victimhood:
- Clear-eyed about the risks, Travis affirms the power of proactive choice as the path toward financial and personal fulfillment:
  - “If your life is not lining up with what you expected life to give you, then you gotta change something. And I’d start with one of these areas that we talked about today.” (48:30)
- The ultimate choice: Take action or accept and be content with what you have.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Environment Change:
“If I am unhappy doing the thing I’m doing with the majority of my waking hours, then the first thing that I look to change is my environment.” (37:18)
On Adjusting Goals:
“If you’re not willing to adjust your environment to get after your goals, then you better change your goals…You’re not just going to reach your goals unless you do something to change.” (38:40)
On Micromanagement:
“Who cares? If I am producing, which I was…the concern should be all the people I’m outproducing when I’ve only been here three weeks.” (32:45)
On Life’s Promises:
“Just because you had a good family, or you got a good upbringing, or you went to college…does not mean that life just gets to hand you your dreams on a silver platter.” (36:26)
On Action:
“That one piece is the scary piece that a lot of people are not willing to do. They’re not willing to change anything, but they still expect all these crazy things from life.” (45:35)
On Attitude:
“If you can be content and grateful in any situation, then that is a superpower that…will allow you to live a probably a pretty happy and fulfilled life, even if you don’t reach all the big, you know, dreams and goals that you had.” (44:58)

Timestamps for Important Segments

[04:05] – Travis’s early career in ministry and transition to sales
[09:30] – Realizing sales pay outstrips ministry; rethinking life path
[18:30] – Taking a salary job for the home loan, and experiencing corporate frustrations
[24:30] – The “Home Depot bucket” incident and lessons on corporate culture
[35:50] – Big idea: “Life doesn’t owe you your dreams”
[37:00] – Four areas for proactive change: environment, goals, expectations, attitude
[47:00] – Decision moment: quitting 9-5 after closing on first house
[48:30] – Call to action & episode wrap-up

Summary & Overall Message

This episode of Travis Makes Money is a refreshing and honest assessment of what it takes to break out of ruts, escape unfulfilling paths, and build a life you design. Travis peels back the curtain on his own doubts, fears, and ultimately decisive action—and delivers timeless, practical wisdom: if you want different results, something must change. Whether it’s your environment, your goals, your expectations, or simply your attitude, owning that change is the real path to financial freedom and daily happiness.

For listeners seeking empowerment, real-world examples, and no-nonsense career and life advice, this episode delivers both insight and inspiration in Travis’s characteristic direct and engaging style.