Episode 4: A Day in the Life of Gen Z Entrepreneurship:Grit Over Glamour

In this episode, I am joined by 21-year-old entrepreneur and creator Dominic Arvielo for a raw, hopeful conversation about identity, body image, and building something from scratch. Dom traces his path from theater kid to music producer to founder of Zigzy, a social media tech + management company. Along the way, he opens up about his battle with an eating disorder—how performance, social media optics, andobsessiveness fed it, and how asking for help, reframing goals, and channeling that same drive into healthy ambition helped him rebuild.

We unpack the unique pressure Gen Z faces online, why entertainment beats “traditional ads” on social, and what early entrepreneurship really looks like (spoiler: less glamour, more grit). Dom shares hard-won lessons on failingfast, starting lean, and choosing to be known for your mind, not your body. The episode doubles as a guide for parents—how to support without smothering, hold boundaries with compassion, and stick with your kid through the hardest parts.

What You’ll Hear

• From stage to startups: Theater roots → music production → founding a seven-person social media company.
• Inside the disorder: What it felt like at the worst point, why it’s so hidden in young men, and how recovery began.
• Optics vs. reality: How social platforms reward appearance—and how to opt out mentally.
• College or not?: The value (and limits) of degrees, self-teaching, and learning how to think.
• Gen Z at work: Competence, value creation, and why you can’t ChatGPT your way into a career.
• Parent playbook: Stay, listen, don’t take the heat personally, and never give up.

Takeaways

• Ask for help early. Suffering in silence is heavier than sharing the load.
• Be known for your mind. Shift focus from body/optics to ideas, skills, and contribution.
• Start small, start now. “Anything you can do with $1,000, you can do with $10—it’s just harder.” Test, learn, iterate.
• Create for why people scroll. Entertain, inspire, or educate—then add a clear CTA.
• Failure is data. Fail fast, analyze, pivot. Pride down, learning up.
• Self-teach as a superpower. Curiosity + consistency beats credentials alone.
• Support young men by stretching them. Space to try, fall, and get back up—plus real check-ins about mental health.

Who It’s For

• Young adults navigating identity, body image, and big career choices.
• Early-stage founders/creators who want the unfiltered version of building a business.
• Parents & mentors looking for practical, compassionate ways to support without over-controlling.
• Leaders & HR pros curious about how Gen Z really thinks about work, value, and social media.

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments and share this podcast with your friends so that we can figure it out together! Follow me so we can stay connected!

https://www.instagram.com/freshoutpodcast/

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/marychoikelly/⁠⁠⁠⁠

https://www.tiktok.com/@marychoikellyphd

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mckleadership.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.womenshospitalityinitiative.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychoikelly/⁠⁠⁠⁠