In this Business Blast Podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Jonathan Kiehl, founder of Even Keel Financial Coaching. The conversation opens with a humorous childhood story about getting his head stuck in a bakery balcony railing, which Jonathan uses as a metaphor for how people often find it harder to escape financial trouble than to get into it. He then shares the core personal‑finance principles he teaches: spend less than you earn, avoid debt, save for the future, and set clear personal goals. Drawing on his own negative corporate experiences, Jonathan cites Patrick Lencioni’s three signs of a miserable job—lack of appreciation, unclear impact, and no measurable progress—as essential management lessons. He advises his younger self to stop fearing failure, noting that risk‑aversion can limit growth. When asked about happiness, he emphasizes contentment achieved through self‑acceptance and aligning one’s vocation with personal strengths. Jonathan recommends Susan Cain’s Quiet for its insights on introvert leadership, and shares a favorite G.K. Chesterton quote about embracing childlike clarity in principles. The episode concludes with his contact information: evenkeel.com and the Facebook handle @EvenKeel.
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Welcome to the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by WagsMedia. WagsMedia provides you with everything you need to generate more customers and grow your brand. Head on over to wagsmedia.com, W-A-G-S-M-E-D-I-A dot com, to enter a contest where you can win a free, done-for-you custom website valued at $2,500 for a limited time only. Now let's jump into the episode.
Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Jonathan Keel with us. He is the founder of Even Keel Financial Coaching, where he coaches individuals in modifying their spending, debt, and saving habits to help them achieve a better return on life. So, welcome to the show, man.
Thanks. Good to be here.
Of course, man. Grateful to have you here. We'll jump right into it. The first question I have for you, Jon, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Yeah. So, I guess one that I could share was when I was younger, my family had a favorite bakery that they would occasionally go to for donuts. And during one visit, I had the bright idea to stick my head through the railing of a balcony seating area. And of course, when I tried to pull my head back, my ears got stuck, which caused me to absolutely panic. And I ended up pulling so hard that when I did finally pull loose, I scraped the skin off the backs of my ears, flew backward, and flattened a potted plant. So I guess what sticks with me from this memory all these years later is that that baker still makes amazing donuts. But no, in all seriousness, it just serves as a humorous reminder to me that it's always exponentially more difficult getting out of a messy situation than it is getting into it. And as I work with clients in tough financial situations, I just see myself, you know, as that person helping them extricate their heads from the proverbial railing.
And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Sure. In helping, in helping these individuals with personal finance, I found that many of their financial problems could have been avoided by following just a few basic financial principles. It seems simplistic, but just spend less than you make, avoid the use of debt, save for the future, and set personal goals.
And what's your best piece of overall business advice?
As someone who's been very poorly managed in the corporate world, I would reiterate 3 principles that the author and speaker Patrick Lencioni Tyler Wagner lays out in his book, The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, to anybody that in business world or especially in a management position, and they are that people want to be appreciated. They want to know that what they're doing matters and they want to be able to measurably gauge their progress in doing it. Hmm.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
I would say probably like most people, I'm naturally risk-averse. So if I could go back and give myself, my younger self advice, it would be not to get caught up in the fear of failure so much. It's been said that if you can't fail at it, it doesn't count.
And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
I think it's contentment, which really extends to all specs, aspects of life. So I think if you're comfortable with who you are as an individual, you found, you found a vocation or an avocation that utilizes your unique capabilities, it goes a long way, I think, in creating happiness.
And what is the best book that you've read, and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
That was a tough one. I enjoy reading, and I've read a ton of good books, but I think recently I read The book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain goes a long way, I think, in redefining what being an introvert actually means. It's also a great analysis of the unique leadership style and the value that introverts have to offer the business world.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
So I put down, or I thought about this and I put down, or I would say that G.K. Chesterton wrote once in a child's book, "Stand up and embrace your childishness. Read all the pedants' screeds and strictures, but never believe in anything that can't be told in colored pictures." And to me, it just serves as a reminder that principles for success are easily defined and readily comprehensible.
Dude, thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is, where is the best place for people to find you online?
So you can find me online at my website, evenkeel.com. I also have a Facebook handle, @EvenKeel, as well.
Perfect, man. Thanks again for hopping on.
No problem.
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