Show Notes
Work With Paul I built an eight-figure business that runs without me. Now I mentor business owners who want to do the same. If your business is successful but you're still trapped in the day-to-day, let's explore what's keeping you there. Apply to Work With Paul: https://www.pauljryan.net/welcome/
After nearly 300 episodes of The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast, I've noticed something that every successful person I've interviewed seems to have in common. At some point in their lives, they've hit a wall. It might have been a business failure, financial ruin, a health crisis or a personal loss. But behind almost every success story, there's a period when things looked pretty bleak. And my own story is no different. Over 20 years ago, I reached a point where I knew something had to change. A firewalking experience gave me the courage to face some uncomfortable truths about myself, my life and how I was running my business. That experience changed the direction of my life. But there's a part of the story I used to leave out — the two very difficult years it took to actually make those changes. In this solo episode, I talk about what I've learned from hundreds of conversations with successful people, the role fear plays in keeping us stuck, and why the difficult parts of our journeys are often the most important. In this episode:
The one thing I've found successful people have in common.
Why hitting a wall can become a turning point.
How fear keeps us on a path we know isn't right.
The firewalking experience that changed my perspective.
The two difficult years behind my business transformation.
Why there's no shortcut to building a better life.
If you're going through a difficult time in your business or personal life, I hope this episode gives you a different perspective. The life you want may be on the other side of some difficult decisions. But you have to be willing to make them and walk the road that follows.
More from The Inner Entrepreneur
Work With Paul I built an eight-figure business that runs without me. I'll help you do the same. Apply to work with Paul: https://www.pauljryan.net/welcome/
Work with Paul I built an eight-figure business that runs without me. I’ll help you do the same. Apply for a strategy call: https://www.pauljryan.net/welcome/ About This Episode What if the biggest obstacle to your success and happiness isn't your circumstances, but your relationship with your own mind? In this episode of The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast, I sit down with Shane Cradock, executive coach and author of The Inner CEO. Shane shares his deeply personal journey from a mental health crisis that brought him to the brink of suicide to discovering a completely different way of understanding his mind. We explore why even highly successful entrepreneurs struggle to find happiness, why the mind constantly pushes us to achieve more, and how learning to step back from our thoughts can transform how we live and lead. Shane also shares practical techniques for developing greater awareness, reducing mental noise and finding more clarity, peace of mind and fulfilment without sacrificing ambition. About the Guest Shane Cradock is an executive coach, advisor and author of The Inner CEO, helping business leaders master their inner world to achieve greater success and fulfilment. Book: https://theinnerceo.com/ About the Host Paul Ryan is an entrepreneur, CEO and mentor who built an eight-figure business that runs without him. Through The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast, he explores the psychology of success, personal growth and creating a fulfilling life. Topics Discussed
What if the business you've worked so hard to build is actually holding you back from the life you want? In this episode, I'm doing something a little different. I'm sharing a conversation where I was interviewed by Brian Keene on his podcast. We talk about the moment, at 40, when I thought I was having a heart attack at my desk, and how that experience eventually led me to completely rethink the way I ran my business. We get into the mistakes I made, the importance of culture and leadership, and how I built an eight-figure business that no longer depends on me. But we also go deeper, exploring the psychology behind success, why financial freedom doesn't necessarily bring peace of mind, and how our fears and insecurities can drive us to achieve more without ever feeling it's enough. In this episode, we cover:
What if the beliefs driving your biggest decisions aren't really yours? And what if the voice in your head that's telling you to keep pushing, achieving and doing more is the very thing holding you back? In this episode of The Inner Entrepreneur, Paul Ryan speaks with Gaia Ferreira, an entrepreneur coach and personal development expert with over 20 years of experience working with founders, CEOs and business owners. They explore how unconscious beliefs, fear and past conditioning shape our decisions, why so many entrepreneurs ignore the warning signs from their bodies, and how to reconnect with who we really are beneath the roles we've created for ourselves. Paul also shares how trusting his intuition stopped him from making a €5 million investment just before the 2008 financial crash — a decision that may have saved his business. In this conversation, you'll discover:
What happens when you achieve the money, success and freedom you thought would make you happy — and discover it still isn’t enough? In this episode of The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast, I sit down with entrepreneur, speaker and personal development expert Peter Sage to explore the inner evolution that can happen after conventional success. Peter shares how he left school at 16, started his first business at 17 and became financially successful at a young age. But underneath the ambition was something deeper: a need to prove he was good enough. Eventually, the relentless pursuit of more left him working until 2 a.m., sleeping only a few hours a night and building businesses that were trapping him rather than setting him free. We explore Peter’s framework of moving from life happening “to me,” to “by me,” to “through me” — and why many successful entrepreneurs eventually reach a point where pushing harder, achieving more and trying to control everything stops working. Peter also shares the extraordinary experience of rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic and how exhaustion, enormous waves and even having to row solo after his partner was injured became a real-world test of the principles he had spent decades teaching. Rather than fighting circumstances he couldn’t control, he learned to surrender to them without giving up. We also discuss the difference between net worth and self-worth, why success without fulfilment eventually feels empty, and how to remain ambitious without allowing your happiness to depend on the next goal. Peter describes it simply: “To me” is I’ll feel great if… “By me” is I’ll feel great when… “Through me” is I can feel great now. For entrepreneurs who have already proved they can work hard, overcome obstacles and achieve, this conversation asks a different question: What if the next level isn’t about pushing harder — but learning to let go? In this episode, we discuss: