<p>The conventional life in the United States: go to school, graduate, apply for jobs, work a 9-5, get married, buy a house, have kids, and spend the rest of your life raising them. &nbsp;There's nothing wrong with living the conventional life but there is something wrong with forcing everyone to live that way.&nbsp;</p> <p>In this episode, I talk with Salina, author of Thoughts to the Universe and designer, about rejecting the conventional life and redefining what living a self-fulfilled life looks like to them. &nbsp;Salina talks us through their journey of living an unconventional life from majoring in fashion design at UW - Madison, to publishing a poetry book at a young age, and to not wanting to conform to a 9-5 after college. &nbsp;Salina and I hold space for young 20 year olds to really challenge the conventional norms that are continuously pushed on to us. &nbsp;Join Salina and I, as they reject the conventional life and really redefine what it can look and feel like.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Follow Salina Ntsa Iab Xiong on Social Media<br> Facebook:</strong> https://www.facebook.com/salinantsaiab<br> <strong>thoughts to the universe</strong> <strong>Instagram:</strong> https://www.instagram.com/thoughtstotheuniverse/<br> <strong>Salina Ntsa Iab's Instagram:</strong> https://www.instagram.com/salina_ntsaiab/<br> <strong>Website: </strong>https://www.salinantsaiab.com/</p> <p>If you're a lost soul, you're not alone! &nbsp;Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.&nbsp;Spill your soul on our website, share your stories, thoughts, or comments and stay anonymous. &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Facebook: </strong>https://www.facebook.com/thelostsoulspodcast<br> <strong>Instagram:</strong> https://www.instagram.com/thelostsoulspodcast/<br> <strong>Spill Your Soul: </strong>https://www.thelostsoulspodcast.com/spill-your-soul<br> <strong>Email: </strong>[email protected]</p> <p>Show Notes:</p> <ul> <li>00:38 - Hey Salina! &nbsp;</li> <li>1:19 - What does the conventional life look like to you?</li> <li>4:35 - Marriage + Conventionality&nbsp;</li> <li>6:18 - Socialization of Conventionality&nbsp;</li> <li>8:05 - Importance of Community Based Learning&nbsp;</li> <li>12:00 - Stigmas with nontraditional majors&nbsp;</li> <li>16:20 - Fashion Internship in Nepal: Impacted Salina's own fashion journey&nbsp;</li> <li>20:25 - How did Thoughts to the Universe (Salina's Poetry Book) come to be?</li> <li>23:00 - The logistics of publishing a book&nbsp;</li> <li>26:50 - Post College: I didn't want the 9-5 but tried anyways&nbsp;</li> <li>35:19 - Family response to the conventional life&nbsp;</li> <li>41:00 - Pushback from myself regarding the conventional life&nbsp;</li> <li>42:09 - She shed a tear, the story that made it worth it in Cali&nbsp;</li> <li>46:00 - Collectively rejecting the systems that are put into place&nbsp;</li> <li>49:25 - Word of advice to your younger self&nbsp;</li> <li>52:00 - Fire Question Round&nbsp;</li> <li>56:11 - Closing: Social Media<br> </li> </ul>