Say Yes Scared: Toronto Hip-Hop Legend DJX on Courage Before Confidence
The Audacious Living PodcastShow Notes
DJX was handed the number one hip-hop radio show in the country and was too scared to open the microphone. He stayed silent for the first two hours.Signature Quote"Having no choice but to walk through the fire. Sometimes that's the only way."DJXWhy this quote matters: it captures the heartbeat of this conversation. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is movement inside it. DJX built a legendary career not by waiting to feel ready, but by walking through the fire anyway.Before he was a Toronto hip-hop legend, Adrien King was a shy kid hiding behind the turntables, practicing ten hours a day in the basement. Then one phone call changed everything. Ron Nelson told him, "Forget that guy, man. Come do my show with me." Overnight, DJX went from a good show to the number one show in the country, and straight into the fire.In this conversation, DJX takes us inside those early CKLN Power Move days: the fear of opening the mic, the weight of deciding which local artists got heard, and the slow realization, years later, of how deeply the show shaped a generation. He also shares why he believes the culture has only gained from how it evolved, and what still pulls him back behind the decks.At its core, this is a conversation about audacity in its purest form. As DJX puts it, he says yes and figures it out later. If you have been waiting to feel ready, this episode is your permission slip.This episode is for you if...• You have been waiting to feel confident before starting something big• You grew up on Toronto hip-hop and want the inside story of the Power Move era• You want to understand the difference between preparation and permission• You are curious how legends handle fear (they feel it too)• You need a nudge to say yes before you feel readyAbout DJXAdrien King, known to generations of hip-hop fans as DJX, is a Toronto hip-hop legend who hosted the iconic CKLN Power Move show in the late eighties and early nineties. Taking over from Ron Nelson, he turned Saturday afternoons into appointment listening, introducing the city to hip-hop in its infancy and championing local Canadian talent when few others would.Behind the legend was relentless preparation: ten-hour practice days, DJ battles, and a work ethic he compares to the Karate Kid's training. Today, Adrien still has his foot in the music as a touring DJ, runs a marketing business he started in 2007, day trades, and is a devoted husband and father. He joins the show to talk about courage, culture, and what it means to say yes scared.Connect with DJX🌐 Website → https://adrienking.com📸 Instagram → @adrienking🎧 Mixcloud → https://www.mixcloud.com/adrienking/Listen on Major Platforms🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2jVR6V7X2kRiCCDXE0FTyl?si=IR3TsfEWR3WA6BzfBRnVXQ🍎 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-audacious-living-podcast/id1547447345📦 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/9f7902bb-dec8-4bd9-918d-d1fef21b7c67/the-audacious-living-podcast?ref=dm_sh_pGv57yQvAmAQVp2IIaXoDwtFtEnjoying the show?Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this.⭐ Leave a review:👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/audacious
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You have an idea. Maybe you have had it for years, sketched on a napkin or sitting in a journal. The difference between you and the inventor on QVC is not talent. It is knowing the right way to move. Signature Quote "Do not share your information until the ink dries." Lisa learned the hard way that an unprotected idea is a vulnerable one. This line from her book is the rule she lives by, and the one she wants every new inventor to hear first. Lisa Ascolese, known as The Inventress, has spent decades turning everyday frustrations into products that sell. Her first invention came from being embarrassed to breastfeed in public, so she created the Bosom Buddy nursing cape. A sock she used to tie her hair into a church-ready bun became the Bun Tie, her first product on QVC. A lost pair of scissors while wrapping gifts became the Wrap and Store organizer, which sold out on QVC. In this conversation, Lisa shares what inventing the right way actually means. Do your due diligence. Build a working prototype before you ever call a patent attorney. Do not add so much to a simple product that it can never get made. And keep your idea close until it is protected, because the naysayers will talk you out of it before it has a chance. She also talks about the audacity it took to pick up the phone and call buyers and celebrities, including a 30-year relationship with Dionne Warwick that started with one cold call, and why she founded the Association of Women Inventors and Entrepreneurs to lift other women up. This is a practical, no-fluff conversation for anyone sitting on an idea. This episode is for you if... - You have an idea sketched somewhere and no clue what to do next - You have wondered whether to patent first or prototype first - You want to get a product onto QVC, HSN, or a store shelf - You have been burned before and want a trustworthy guide this time - You believe inventors should lift each other up Lisa Ascolese is known as The Inventress, a name her publicist coined years ago and one she has since trademarked. Born in London and raised in Brooklyn by West Indian parents, she was inventing as a child, taking things apart around the house and making them work for her. Her first product, the Bosom Buddy breastfeeding cape, sold nationally and internationally, and she went on to sell multiple products on QVC, including the Bun Tie, the Wrap and Store organizer, and the Perfect Pockets organizer, which she later redesigned for HSN. Today Lisa helps inventors go from a napkin idea all the way to the marketplace, teaching them to do it the right way with due diligence, working prototypes, and protected ideas. She is the founder of the Association of Women Inventors and Entrepreneurs, now celebrating its 13th year, and host of The Inventors Podcast. Her book is "The Inventress Guide to Inventing the Right Way: All or Nothing, Now or Never." Her mission is simple: lifting each other up two hands at a time. 🌐 Website: https://inventingatoz.com/ Her podcast, The Inventors Podcast, and her social channels are all linked from her website. Listen on Major Platforms 🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2jVR6V7X2kRiCCDXE0FTyl?si=IR3TsfEWR3WA6BzfBRnVXQ 🍎 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-audacious-living-podcast/id1547447345 📦 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/9f7902bb-dec8-4bd9-918d-d1fef21b7c67/the-audacious-living-podcast?ref=dm_sh_pGv57yQvAmAQVp2IIaXoDwtFt Enjoying the show? Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this. ⭐ Leave a review: 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/audacious