I got into radio in 2005.

I was the youngest talk radio host in the country. There was no such thing as young, popular streamers and social media influencers back then.

I had already built a following as a blogger. I saw blogging as the future. I was right.

I saw podcasting as the future. I was right.

I saw social media as the future. I was right.

I saw live streaming as the future. I was right.

At the time, I worked for one of the largest media companies in the world. They forbid us from having blogs, podcasts, and social media accounts. They claimed it was a 'liability.'

I started live streaming in Oct. 2013 on Ustream to prove that it was the future. It was a few years later than I wanted to start doing it but no one was really doing it back then. I did it from my phone and the audience couldn't hear callers. It looked and sounded terrible, but people loved it. A former boss (no longer with my company) didn't support it.

The proof of concept was a huge success. The stream numbers were huge. Far bigger than I draw now. The dinosaur thinking that plagues my industry destroyed a golden opportunity.

2013 ...

Imagine what could have been if that effort had been supported so long before others in my industry even considered doing it. Then again, I should have found a way to do it myself and on my own.

To the talent out there ... go with your gut. Don't wait for others to catch up to you. Find a way. If they tell you that you can't do it ... quit. I mean it, quit. They don't want you to succeed. They want you to make them money and not grow your own brand. Just sit there quietly and do your job until they've finished with you and cast you out in the cold to start over from scratch.

I held myself back. I did it for job security. I did it for people who, frankly, don't much care what happens to me in the end.

The most valuable asset you have is time. Don't waste it. Don't let anyone else waste it.

Don't make my mistakes.

Take a chance just like I will in January 2022.