My TEDX Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nWsxwgO83A Join our community of fearless leaders in search of unreasonable outcomes... Want to become a FEARLESS entrepreneur and leader? Go here: https://books.ryanhanley.com Watch on YouTube: https://link.ryanhanley.com/youtube Master of the Close - Learn how to scale your sales process, fast: https://link.ryanhanley.com/masteroftheclose Selah Hirsch Website: https://expressmybrand.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/expressmybrand/ 2024 brought me to my knees. After a year of burnout, broken systems, and personal wake-up calls, I realized something most people never talk about: Sometimes, getting your ass kicked is the only way forward. In this raw and honest conversation with Selah Hirsch, I unpack the hard reset that forced me to rethink everything—from how I lead, to how I sell, to how I live. We talk about: 🔥 The silent power of pruning seasons🔥 Why “mindset” isn’t enough🔥 Launching Master the Close after sitting on it for YEARS🔥 The true meaning of fulfillment vs. success🔥 Why entrepreneurs need to stop chasing and start aligning Whether you’re in a rough season or just came out of one, this episode will meet you where you are. Check Out Our Sponsors OpusClip: #1 AI video clipping and editing tool: https://link.ryanhanley.com/opus Riverside: HD Podcast & Video Software | Free Recording & Editing: https://link.ryanhanley.com/riverside Shortform - The World's Best Book Summaries: https://link.ryanhanley.com/shortform Taplio - Grow Your Personal Brand On LinkedIn: https://link.ryanhanley.com/taplio Kit: Email-First Operating System for Creators (formerly ConvertKit): https://link.ryanhanley.com/kit
Chapter 1: What does it mean to get broken as an entrepreneur?
Hey guys, the end of this video is a little awkward. We didn't realize it at the time, but the last like five or six minutes of Selah's audio cuts out and we don't have video or audio. So the ending will be a little abrupt, but there is an incredible amount of value in this conversation.
Chapter 2: How can a hard reset change your leadership style?
And we're going to have Selah back on the show because as we mentioned, we didn't even get to the topic that I really wanted to address with Selah, which is personal branding in particular. So enjoy this episode. It is high powered. It is absolutely incredible. Selah is wonderful. She's one of my favorite people in the world. And I'm so incredibly excited to share her with you guys.
So enjoy the show. I apologize for the awkward ending. And as always, I love you.
In a crude laboratory in the basement of his home.
started the conversation and then we got like into life stuff so like so we get to so we get to like almost the end and he's like do you have a couple extra minutes he's like i really want to know about master of the clothes because what you know i want to i'm interested in how we can roll it out and i was like I was like, hopefully you had a little extra time after.
It's all good. It's all good. It's all good. We'll power talk. But that's great that he's into Master of the Clothes. I'm so proud of you for how you rolled that out. Can you believe that just launched a few months ago? You worked on that for so long, and you sat on that. You sat on that as a silent sleeper. I remember when I finally found that thing, I was like, wow. Ryan, what is this thing?
And you were like, Oh, it's just like this incredible proprietary sales process I developed. And it's just sitting over here off to the side that could help millions of people. And then look at you, like finally giving it to the world this year. I love it. Cheers to 2025.
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Chapter 3: What is the significance of fulfillment versus success?
Yeah. 2025 has already been a much better year than 2024, 2020. I'm, I am glad that, uh, I'm glad 2024 happened. Cause it was a good, it was a good life lesson on, um, I thought I had a lot of the mindset stuff figured out. I thought I had a lot of it figured out. Figured out in air quotes, right? But 2024 kicked me on my ass. And you know, we talked every week for how long.
And coming out of it and starting to kind of find my way again and prioritize properly and that kind of stuff, it was a good lesson that if you don't if you don't continue to follow the path, how easy it is to fall off the path and how important things like discipline, commitment, uh, surrounding yourself with good people, like those kinds of things, how important they are because.
When you detach yourself from those things, you lose the way really quick.
Well, you had to fight to stay on that path too because it was one thing to stay on it. It's another thing to realize you're in a pruning season. I mean, I think that's what we talked about so many times is it was – What do I hold on to? What do I let go of here? And I watched you literally like separate Siamese twins, you know, with your bare knuckle fingers of this is what I wanted to.
But this is now what I feel like I need to hold on to and vice versa. Look at this new thing now that is emerging in the space. And so 24 was shaping. It was pruning it.
felt hard in our conversations, but I truly believe even how you're expressing where you are at this moment, that it was a much needed season, uh, just to, to prepare the ground for areas that you can really thrive in and that are ultimately like deep reflections of you, your brand, your story, and the work that you want to bring into the world.
Yeah. It's, um, it's funny. Like I almost feel like we need to get our ass kicked once in a while. Like every once in a while, maybe like once a decade, maybe like once a decade, just get your ass handed to you. You know, just to like remind yourself of one, like you're not gonna die, you know what I mean? Like you're gonna be okay. And two, that, like today I feel very, very fulfilled
getting master, I mean, and you were so instrumental in this, like getting master the closeout, getting the Ted talk done. Like those two things in particular, like reframing what I wanted to be, how I wanted to, how I wanted to show up in the world.
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Chapter 4: Why is it important for entrepreneurs to stop chasing and start aligning?
Like it, I needed the pain of 2024 to today be able to sit here and feel very confident in what I'm doing every day, how I live my life, what I want out of my life. Like, I think that, I needed that reset. I mean, it sucked. There's a big part of me that wished that it didn't happen. But I think at the same time, if you can continue through it, and you were instrumental in that,
Really, you can come out the other side a much, I think, much more satisfied person. I think what I'm trying to cultivate in my life today is satisfaction is the right word. Fulfillment, right? How do I operate each day from a sense of fulfillment? And fulfillment, I think some people misunderstand fulfillment in so much as they think, It means conclusion, right?
Just getting through the day thing. Here's a, here's a good example. And we talked about this a couple of times, like, and you actually even said this to me one time and it was, it was a really good reminder. I can't remember when you said it, but I had a shitty, shitty week or whatever. And, but I got like one thing done and you were like, that's the win. Like, all right, last week sucked.
But you got this one thing done. And yeah, was it your most productive week ever? No, you kind of did this and you chased this rabbit and blah, blah. But you did get this one thing done. And that's the way. So, okay. Yep. That's, that's what it is. And, and, and, um, I think, so that's, I try to operate today with like, okay, you don't have to optimize every minute of your day.
You don't have to have the perfect morning routine every day. You don't have to work out every single day. Like it just life happens, right? Sometimes.
Sometimes the win is being able to log out at 3 p.m., pick up your kids from school, take them to the baseball game, and maybe you didn't get as much work done as I would have liked, but I spent eight quality hours with my kids, watched them play sports or whatever, and got to hang out with them and have a great evening. And that's a win. That's a great day.
And I think especially for people that are driven, that can be a particularly tough lesson.
Well, I think we need some like rocky background music right now because I feel like every entrepreneur who's listening to this is like, this is my life right here. I love how you said you need to get it beat up every now and then because that's what it feels like. It feels like a constant juggling act, juggling priorities, focus, deadlines, cash flow, systems, scalable growth.
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Chapter 5: How can sports teach valuable life lessons?
I mean, it's like literally like a storm, a perfect storm at all times, especially if
this is a business owner or an entrepreneur and you can relate to that I mean the success that you've had with rogue risk you know with that with leading innovative companies like you do with developing products like Salesforce teams I mean just there is so much that you realize is a constant pressure point and and to your point I do believe that resilience is
is what we're talking about because you've come through this stronger. And that's why I'm like, we need some pump up Rocky music here. I feel like I've been able to kind of be like Mick here on the sides a little bit like, hey, what's going on? Okay, send you back out there. Come on, let's dial back up. Let's get our focus in. Now get back into the ring a little bit.
And everyone needs something like that. They need someone in their life where they can be like, hold on. I'm actually winning, but this match is still going here a little bit. And to your point, the win may be sometimes just surviving a little bit. I don't want to get too far into the boxing metaphor here. But I think at the end of the day, like you said, it's defining the win a little bit.
And sometimes it's holding space, staying the course, trusting the game plan. Other times it's probably not being afraid to take the risk. I think that's something I've watched you do is once you've acknowledged that you need to make a pivot or a change, you're like, let's go. Let's jump here.
And this is what I love that you brought out in your TEDx talk, is that you are not afraid to be vulnerable and realize that what is the success I'm chasing? And identifying it, is it actually the success that defines me? Am I defining it? Or am I letting status and the perceptions of society and what I think I should be doing and the expectations of others really model that success?
And at the end of the day, that is the unfulfilled life that you're talking about. I love this quote that you said. I listened so many times to your talk, but I got to tell you, the quote that you talked about, the everyday millions of people go to jobs that they hate and pursue the goals that they didn't choose because that's what they thought that they were supposed to do, I think rings so well.
True, because all of us can relate to that in one way or another. We can be so caught up drinking our own Kool-Aid or what we feel like our social media feed has fed us or what we see the success of another business owner or another colleague doing that we can realize we are chasing shiny objects all day long. And at the end of the day, we're going to fall off a cliff.
We've got to learn to do this better and do this right. I love how your story holds the space for both the ambition and the honesty to define success at a more authentic point.
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Chapter 6: What are the risks of defining success based on others' expectations?
And, um, you know, they both have been frustrated and I should be doing this and, you know, I should be higher in the lineup and, you know, and these are common frustrations that people have. And I just said to them, like, you know, I, I, I do these little, uh, I'm sure that they're going to.
they have lots of therapy bills later in life because of these monologues that I give them while we're driving. But I said to them, I said, guys, like, like, No one gets to dictate your future but you. Your coach doesn't get to dictate your future. I don't get to dictate your future. Your mother doesn't get to dictate your future. No one dictates your future but you.
If you want to be a better hitter, if that's important to you, and it doesn't matter to me if it's important to you or not. And I've said this to a million times. I play baseball. I love coaching you guys in baseball because I played and I love the sport. But if you said you wanted to be tennis players or golfers or whatever, ballerinas, I would be there with you.
Like I honestly don't give a shit. I, but I said, you've both chosen this sport. Okay. And you're struggling at this one particular skill. Okay. If you want to be better, the only way for you to get better is you have to decide that you want to be better and figure it the fuck out. Like, go figure it out, right? Like, I will help you. I will take you to hitting lessons.
We can work on the side as much as you want. I mean, for a baseball dad, there is nothing that they want more in life for their kid to ask them to help them, right? I mean, that's just like... You know, but I said to them, I go, guys, like right now you're letting where you're hitting in the lineup or the umpire or, you know, you hit three balls at a shortstop and he made all three plays.
And why, you know, why was he standing there? You know, whatever, all these things that young kids say about the sport. And I was like, you're letting these these external things dictate your future to you. Like, did you approach? that at bat, and this goes for anything, it can go for a talk, it can go for being a leader, it can go for a sales call, whatever. Did you approach that moment
with the right mindset? Did you approach it with 100% of yourself? Were you focused? And if you were, the outcome doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. The outcome doesn't matter because you did everything you had to do, right? Everything else will figure itself out.
And maybe the coaches wants to have his kid and his kid's friends hitting one through five and you hit six and that frustrates you and you can't crack. That's fine. hit 500 from the sixth slot, right? Like, why are you letting an external factor dictate how you feel about yourself? And no one's ever perfect with that. But it's like that lesson to me, that is like the most important thing.
And it's why, because I've had a lot of people ask me, and we even talked about it. You asked me this question. Why this topic for this talk? And it was... I honestly believe that – and everyone who listens to the show knows that, Christian. I honestly believe God put us on this earth to work towards becoming the best version of ourselves. That's why he put us here. He put us here.
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Chapter 7: How can reframing fear catalyze action in business?
Keep going, Ryan. I have tons of questions for you too. I promise we're going to get to it. But like. I just had this call with a guy. We were talking a little bit about business, but as I told you and why we started the podcast late was we ended up talking about life a little bit.
And he shared this amazing story with me where he had had this injury and he was feeling lots of pain and he was walking towards his church for Easter Sunday and he just asked God and he said, you know, help me with this pain. And the pain started to go away. And He said, you know, I don't know if it was God or not. And I said, it was.
And I said, the reason is because you didn't turn around and go back to the car. You could have turned around and gone back to the car and laid the seat down and put yourself in a comfortable position, but you didn't. You kept walking forward. You knew the pews in that church weren't going to be comfortable for your back. You kept walking forward. And so the payoff to that was, right? Right.
Your pain got reduced. Now, it didn't go away. It was still there. But it wasn't screaming because you passed the test. You didn't give up. And I think that's such an important thing. No one would have questioned you going back to the car, laying down, and saying, my back just hurt too bad. No one would have questioned that. But you kept moving forward. And I think that's what we're here to do.
Well, I think that – let's unpack that for a second further because you talked about that in your TED Talk with that first point you brought up, which was reframing fear as the catalyst for action. And I think that that's what you're talking about here is you're realizing that we've got to strip back to our core what is driving us and reframing success.
I think the analogy that you shared, the story you just shared with your sons in baseball is a great example because, again, we're looking at success through the lens of – all the other factors in our lives that are telling us what the measure is. But that measure is such a fake. It's such a trap.
And I think that that is why I love when we were working on your talk and you were like, Selah, I've got this idea of the status trap. And there's just such a word. That's a gripping thought. I've asked myself, where have I been trapped in my life? I'm like a person who would be afraid to be trapped in something. I'm the person who likes the...
The aisle seat on the airplane, I'm like, I don't want to be next to the window and not able to jump out and get something when I want to and need to. I don't want to be reliant on somebody. I don't want to be stuck in an elevator. I don't want to be stuck with slow drivers. In fact, it's so funny. I got to tell you, the other day I was driving my kids to school.
And we were driving past this Catholic private school. It's kind of on our way to the kids' school. And there was this crosswalk. And this guy we know, he was riding his golf cart across the street from his subdivision, dropping off his kids at this Catholic school. And there was like a little cart path. And so he was able to take his golf cart.
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Chapter 8: What lessons can we learn from personal struggles?
I have to allow the drive of who I am, you know, encapsulated in this kind of fear. fear of, because now I'm stepping into my own path, I'm stepping into my own definitions, I will not be held constraint any longer by this, is it's going to actually cause some fear in me, but it's going to turn me into a place of action.
And I think when you and I talked more about this, we realized, you know what, there are talks that are informational, there are talks that are passionate, there are talks that are going to create, you know, change, you know, across society or in places of people's worldview and things of that nature. And that's what, that's what talks and communication is for.
And Ryan, I love your style as a communicator because you are gritty, you are raw, you are vulnerable, and you challenge people. And at the end of the day, it's gonna take two to tango. And I know that people like myself who don't wanna be held down by anything in life are gonna wake up and realize, you know what, but I am.
But I am being held back by some status because at night I've got the doom's scroll going on or I've got, you know, I'm in a mastermind and I'm, you know, subconsciously sizing myself up with others or I'm looking at, you know, these deliverables and the scale size of my business. And I'm realizing in my industry, you know, there's a different measure of success. And at the end of the day.
it's all a trap because we're not letting ourselves feel the fear, which is really the authenticity of defining our way. And I'll tell you that challenge you brought out is going to wake people up to realize they have to find their way.
Well, thank you. And as I said, and I couldn't, I couldn't have done it without you. I, um, I, I, this is one of the things that I think has been the most interesting to me as I've matured in my career. Um, when we're young and we look at those ahead of us that we idolize, right? And I think that's a good thing.
I think it's okay to look at someone else, you know, it could be an icon like a Michael Jordan or it could be a mentor in your community or it could be a parent or whoever it is that you idolize when you're young. And young can even be into your early 20s. You look at the places where they're successful and you assume that they have no fear in those moments.
And when you have fear in those moments, you're like, oh, there's something wrong with me. I'm scared, right? And this is actually a conversation that I've had with my children as well about other things, not just sports. It's like, you're 11 and nine. Of course you're gonna be scared.
You're experiencing things that you've never experienced before all the time, because you're brand new to life, right? You are constantly experiencing things for the first time. And when you experience things for the first time, you are going to have fear associated with those things, especially if you are searching for an outcome in that thing, right? There's going to be fear associated with it.
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