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Work Life Play: Hosted by Aaron McHugh

Stop Working the Old Way with Inventor Martin Keen Episode #23

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Meet Mr. Revolution

Rarely do we see revolutionary change.  Most products experience incremental revision.  Meet Mr. Revolution himself, Martin Keen.  You know Martin Keen, but you know him as KEEN.

In 2003, he created one of the fastest growing outdoor brands in the world, KEEN footwear.

Like every great inventor, Martin was ready for a new challenge, insert Focal Upright Furniture.

Inventors, creatives and heretics see the world slightly askew.

They can’t resist the compulsion to fix what they see as
in need of repair.

In his words, “The guiding thought for me was that humans evolved to be upright.”

  • Twelve years
  • Four hundred and fifty-six drawings
  • Forty-two scale models
  • Twenty working prototypes later

Martin’s next company, Focal Upright Furniture was ready to change the way we work.

A Different Way to Work

I want you to understand that this is not a podcast about a desk or a seat.

This is a story about another man pushing past the status quo and humdrum of our beliefs about work in order to re-invigorate the WAY WE WORK.

I am a passionate advocate for working differently.  

Not the way we’ve been told to work, but an invitation to experience more while working.  

Punching a clock, living like drones, waiting until you retire to enjoy your life and having back pain from sitting all day….

It doesn’t have to be this way.

My encouragement to you is that you can work better, create more, enjoy life and feel good along the way.

Men like Martin Keen are pioneering a different path.

He is inviting us, fellow heretics, into a work-life of:

  • Creativity
  • Passion
  • Innovation
  • Physical wellness

The Locus Seat and Locus Workstation are simply the innovative tools to extract the best that your life and work has to offer.

Click to Listen

Podcast Highlights

  • Learn about Martin’s family history in the footwear industry
  • Hear how Martin invented the Locus Seat before he started KEEN Footwear
  • Understand how creativity, health, balance and productivity are derived from how we feel while working

My Personal Endorsement

I drank the Kool-Aid.  Here I am in my new Locus Seat and Workstation.

Aaron McHugh Rocking My Day Job via Keen’s Invention

I’m a believer that sitting is our generation’s version of smoking.  Thanks Nilofer Merchant.

I joined the Upright Revolution last month upon receiving my new Locus Workstation and Locus Seat.

Here are my experiences so far:

  1. I feel better
    I genuinely feel physically better at the end of each work day.  Instead of low backache, I feel stronger from the trifecta of sitting, standing and core stabilization.
  2. I feel more creative
    Maybe it’s because my brother is an architect.  He creates buildings that you can touch and walk through.  My Locus Workstation can take on the profile of a draftsman’s workbench.  I prefer the slightly tilted position of the desk as if I was an architect shaping the skyline.  Instead, I write, market & sell software (which I happen to love).  My newfound workstation makes me feel like creating a-new.
  3. The transition from sitting-to-standing is quicker
    This might seem like a minor nuance benefit.  It’s not.  The ability to quickly jump up and walk around or change positions quickly is like Usain Bolt (he’s really fast) running a tenth of a second faster in 100 meters.  It’s bad ass.  The result is that you get up more often to move around.  Instead of sitting stagnant for an eight+ hour workday, you move about more often.

The Locus Workstation

Designed for the digital age.

Rock your day job! It’s time your office desk adapted to you. The Locus Workstation is an ergonomic standing desk that is both height and incline adjustable. Used with the Locus Seat, you’ll enjoy all the health advantages of a standing desk, while your body settles into a comfortable leaning position that effortlessly supports your body. It’s a workstation designed to respond to how you work in the digital age.

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Next episode:
Interview with Jia Jiang Author of Rejection Proof: How to Beat Fear and Become Invincible Episode #22 Listen now

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