{"id":46,"date":"2026-09-17T04:24:43","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T04:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/?p=46"},"modified":"2026-09-17T04:24:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T04:24:43","slug":"you-made-it-so-why-dont-you-feel-alive-by-akash-prasad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/you-made-it-so-why-dont-you-feel-alive-by-akash-prasad\/","title":{"rendered":"You Made It. So Why Don&#8217;t You Feel Alive? By Akash Prasad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"From Amazon to Feeling Alive with Akaash Prasad CEO of the To Be Alive Advisory\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WkxqtGAwVVo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A conversation with Akash Prasad, founder of To Be Alive Advisory, on success, anxiety, belonging, inherited patterns\u2014and getting off the achievement hamster wheel.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a very specific kind of existential crisis reserved for successful people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You did the things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You got the degree.<br>You got the job.<br>You collected the impressive company names.<br>You became the person your younger self was supposedly working so hard to become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then one random Tuesday your brain goes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Cool. So why don\u2019t I feel better?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is where my conversation with <strong>Akash Prasad, founder of To Be Alive Advisory<\/strong>, gets interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Akash has the r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that normally gets turned into a LinkedIn victory lap: UCLA MBA, experience at companies including Verizon and Amazon, and a career built around accomplishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But this episode isn&#8217;t really about accomplishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s about what happens when accomplishment stops being enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Welcome to the Success Hamster Wheel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For ambitious people, achievement can become remarkably efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Achieve goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Experience approximately seven minutes of satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Immediately invent a harder goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Repeat until retirement or spontaneous combustion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dangerous part is that from the outside, this can look fantastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Promotions. Degrees. Money. Titles. Recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, internally, you may still be operating from fears, expectations and emotional patterns that were installed decades ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Akash talks about learning to recognize those patterns instead of automatically obeying them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because eventually you have to ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Am I building the life I actually want\u2014or am I just becoming extremely good at completing assignments I inherited from somebody else?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That question is much scarier than another quarterly goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cThis Ends With Me.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the strongest ideas from our conversation was simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis ends with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most people inherit more than eye color and questionable family recipes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We inherit beliefs about money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Worthiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What respectable people are supposed to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What failure supposedly says about us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And sometimes we spend decades living according to emotional rules we never consciously chose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The shift happens when you can finally see the pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You don&#8217;t necessarily need to hate where it came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You just don&#8217;t have to keep forwarding it to the next chapter of your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Awareness gives you a choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And choice is where a different legacy begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Anxiety Might Not Mean \u201cStop\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ambitious people are often waiting for the magical day when they finally feel completely confident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bad news:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That day appears to have been delayed indefinitely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Akash offered a much more useful interpretation of fear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy fear and nervousness is just a sign that I\u2019m stepping onto a bigger stage.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That changes the equation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nervous doesn&#8217;t automatically mean wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Uncomfortable doesn&#8217;t automatically mean unprepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes your body is simply realizing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Oh. We&#8217;re doing something bigger now.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Entrepreneurs encounter this constantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pitching the larger client.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Launching the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leaving the safe job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Walking into a room where you don&#8217;t know anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Publishing the thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Charging more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Being seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The goal isn&#8217;t necessarily to eliminate fear before acting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes the goal is to stop treating fear like a stop sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Belonging Problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then we got into something even bigger: belonging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A lot of people spend enormous amounts of energy trying to earn it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Get into the right school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Join the right company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Make enough money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Find the right social group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Collect enough external proof that you deserve your seat at the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Akash described belonging differently:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBelonging is something that becomes obvious when you feel at home with yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That one deserves a second read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because if your sense of belonging depends entirely on someone else admitting you into the room, you&#8217;re handing strangers an absurd amount of authority over your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The more interesting version of success may be becoming comfortable enough with yourself that you stop auditioning everywhere you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can still want community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can still want achievement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can still want the big table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You just don&#8217;t need the table to issue your certificate of existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Does It Actually Mean to Be Alive?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is why <strong>To Be Alive Advisory<\/strong> is such an appropriate name for Akash&#8217;s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a difference between functioning and feeling alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can have an extremely functional life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Calendar optimized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inbox cleared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Career progressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Retirement account behaving responsibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LinkedIn looking gorgeous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And still feel strangely disconnected from yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Being alive involves something messier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Curiosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Choosing things because they matter to you rather than because they look impressive when converted into bullet points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And maybe that&#8217;s one of the stranger challenges of ambition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At first, success means proving you can climb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eventually, success may mean deciding whether the ladder is leaning against a wall you actually care about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Legacy Isn&#8217;t Just What You Build<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Legacy Launchers, I obviously think about legacy a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Usually people hear that word and imagine something enormous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A building with someone&#8217;s surname engraved on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But this conversation reminded me that legacy is also the patterns that stop with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The expectations you question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The courage you model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The version of yourself you finally allow to exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes your legacy is what you build.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes your legacy is what you refuse to keep carrying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And sometimes the most successful thing you can do is step off the hamster wheel long enough to ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Do I actually feel alive in the life I&#8217;m working this hard to create?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because if the answer is no, congratulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You may have discovered your next project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And for once, it might actually be yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Listen to the full conversation with Akash Prasad on the Legacy Launchers Podcast.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Legacy Launchers Podcast<\/strong> explores the people, decisions, failures, reinventions and occasionally ridiculous plot twists behind building something worth leaving behind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A conversation with Akash Prasad, founder of To Be Alive Advisory, on success, anxiety, belonging, inherited patterns\u2014and getting off the achievement hamster wheel. There is a very specific kind of existential crisis reserved for successful people. You did the things. You got the degree.You got the job.You collected the impressive company names.You became the person [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48,"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions\/48"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}