What happens when your entire business gets destroyed in 3 days? Jay Acunzo, storytelling expert and former head of content at HubSpot, shares the messy reality of reinvention and how he discovered his most defensible advantages. We explore why people follow you for YOU (not your content), the psychology behind authentic storytelling vs. performance, and Jay's frameworks for escaping the "commodity cage"—including why you should focus on being their favorite instead of being the best. Plus: the simple 4-part story structure that actually works and how to "ladder down" your ideas to create deeper connections.

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CONNECT WITH JAY:

https://jayacunzo.com/

https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo

https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter

Check out Jay's podcast, "How Stories Happen" wherever you get your podcasts

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SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:

Subscribe to the Creator Alchemy Newsletter for exclusive content and unlock the Psychology of Success Masterclass for free.

Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/

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JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

The Creator Alchemy Lab is a community for ambitious creators taking bold action to transform their businesses, their lives, and themselves.

Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/lab now to join.

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• Getting "punched in the mouth" by unexpected events often forces necessary reinvention that turns five-year plans into 30-day survival plans
• Ask yourself "What am I the best at doing in a room of 100 people?" to find clarity about your unique strengths and defensible advantages
• The messy, unglamorous parts of reinvention are where you actually find your best ideas and truest self
• People don't follow you for your content—they follow you for you, which means your imperfections are often what create the strongest connections
• Use "tactical vulnerability"—share imperfect, human aspects of your story that are relevant for building connection or illustrating a point
• Stories need four building blocks: status quo, tension, turning point, and resolution (remember the itsy bitsy spider)
• Don't just share expertise—escape the "commodity cage" by developing a unique premise or perspective
• "Don't market more, matter more"—focus on resonance (how much people care) over reach (how many people see it)
• "Don't be the best, be their favorite"—people make emotional choices and rationalize them later
• Move from being an expert who shares information to an explorer who asks questions and launches investigations
• "Ladder down" your ideas: start with an easy reframe, then your core premise, then the best-case outcome
• Bringing conviction to your ideas and learning to package them effectively creates a defensible position in a noisy world

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Why Jay decided to dedicate this chapter of his life to storytelling and speaking

09:00 How Jay reinvented his business after everything burned to the ground

14:57 The emotional toll of pivoting your business

18:20 How to find your best ideas to share

21:41 The trap of being a meta-creator

23:43 Being an expert vs. an explorer

26:30 Imperfection and building a connection with your audience

33:25 AI and the Milli Vanilli Effect

37:54 Being authentic vs being performative

49:38 The...

In this episode, I sit down with PJ Milani (you may know him by Milani Creative), a high school film teacher who's built an inspirational brand sharing visual metaphors that's attracted an audience of over 400,000 people across platforms by embracing quantity over quality and abandoning perfectionism.

We dive deep into his creative philosophy, the psychology behind consistent output, and how he overcame decades of creative paralysis to become one of the most recognized visual metaphor creators online. PJ shares his approach to handling imposter syndrome, the constraints that fuel his creativity, and why "good enough" might be the secret to unlocking your creative potential. This conversation will completely change how you think about creative work and hitting publish.

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CONNECT WITH PJ Milani:

• https://www.milanicreative.com/art
• The visual metaphor we talk about at the end of the episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFxaB-Hx2md/

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SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:

Subscribe to the Creator Alchemy Newsletter for exclusive content and unlock the Psychology of Success Masterclass for free.

Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/

—

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

The Creator Alchemy Lab is a community for ambitious creators taking bold action to transform their businesses, their lives, and themselves.

Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/lab now to join.

—

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• Perfectionism is often disguised procrastination - Waiting for the "perfect approach" or "right tools" can delay creative output for years, as PJ experienced before finally starting at age 40.
• Creative accents (your imperfections) become your unique signature - In an AI-dominated world, the way you imperfectly create something is what makes your work distinctly human and memorable.
• "Good enough" should be redefined as "as good as I can make it today" - This shifts the question from impossible perfection to achievable daily excellence within your current constraints.
• You are not the best judge of what will resonate with your audience - PJ's most viral content was often work he didn't think was his best, proving creators can't predict what will connect with people.
• Creative practice should align with meaningful work, not just cool achievements - Focusing on work that feels personally fulfilling sustains long-term creative output better than chasing viral moments.
• Imposter syndrome intensifies with success rather than disappearing - The feeling of not belonging in certain rooms persists even at high achievement levels, requiring ongoing psychological management.
• Constraints actually fuel creativity rather than limit it - Having boundaries provides a framework that makes creative decisions easier and prevents paralysis from infinite options.

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Overcoming Perfectionism Through Consistency

06:16 - From Teaching to Creating: PJ's Background

24:08 - Crossing the Fame Threshold

30:47 - Navigating Imposter Syndrome

43:55 - Balancing Cool vs. Meaningful in Creative Work

50:45 - The Overwhelm of Being Multi-Passionate

56:20 - Metrics of Success: What Actually Matters

1:12:02 - The Art of "Good Enough" and Creative Accents

1:23:04 - Technical Skills vs. True Creativity

1:44:08 - Creative Constraints That Fuel Innovation

1:49:18 - How to Overcome...

Tobi Emonts-Holley is a CEO, father of seven, and high-performance coach for fathers who want to thrive at home and at work without burning out.

In this episode, Tobi shares hard-earned insights about what it takes to be a true leader (and why leadership starts with humility, not ego), how to lead yourself in order to lead others, the power of building systems instead of relying on willpower, how to approach work-life balance and burnout when you can’t clock out, how he manages to stay present as a father and husband raising 7 kids and maintain a happy marriage—and how he manages to do all of this while also staying fit, building a huge social media following, and coaching other high-performers.

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CONNECT WITH Tobi Emonts-Holley:

http://hybrid-dad.com

http://instagram.com/tobi_emonts/

https://www.youtube.com/@tobi_emonts

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SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:

Subscribe to the Creator Alchemy Newsletter for exclusive content and unlock the Psychology of Success Masterclass for free.

Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/

—

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

The Creator Alchemy Lab is a community for ambitious creators taking bold action to transform their businesses, their lives, and themselves.

Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/lab now to join.

—

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• Being a leader means transitioning from being a hard worker to a hard thinker - As you advance in leadership, your most important job becomes creating space to think strategically rather than executing tasks.
• Leading yourself is a prerequisite for leading others effectively - You can’t inspire or guide others until you've done the inner work to understand and manage your own insecurities and patterns.
• Self-respect is the root issue behind most fitness and time management failures - People who can't stick to exercise routines or boundaries often lack fundamental self-respect, not discipline or knowledge.
• Systems and boundaries allow you to be present with family while maintaining performance - Having structured work processes and protected personal time allows you to be fully present during family moments without sacrificing professional output.
• Different life areas can elevate each other rather than compete - Morning workouts improve emotional stability for parenting, better work boundaries create more family time, and strategic thinking enhances all areas of life.
• Parenting is about raising future adults, not managing current children - The decisions you make about screen time, work ethic, and presence today shape the adults your children will become.
• Stillness and uninterrupted thinking time are competitive advantages for leaders - Taking walks without distractions and creating protected space for deep thought leads to better decision-making across all life domains.

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 From Volunteer to CEO

07:30 Setting Healthy Boundaries When You’re Always On

11:38 Productivity Myths and How to Have It All

26:40 The Power of Stillness

34:52 Leadership Myths vs. Reality

45:03 How Leaders Deal with Self-Doubt

48:20 Why You Have to Lead Yourself to Lead Others

55:54 Tobi’s 10-Year Vision and His...