Let's Think About It Podcast

Special Episode 50: Punch Your Punk-Ass Inner Critic in the Mouth

• Morice Mabry • Season 2 • Episode 50

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When self-doubt threatens to hold us back, what propels us forward? In this milestone 50th episode, Coach Mo flips the script by becoming the interviewee, with previous guest Michelle Schaefer taking the host's chair for an illuminating conversation about overcoming limiting beliefs.

Coach Mo vulnerably shares how the inner critic nearly prevented him from launching his podcast despite his successful coaching career. "Who am I to provide value?" he recalls thinking—a universal doubt that plagues even accomplished professionals. His breakthrough came through simple action: "Once I put the headset on and started talking, the fear went away." This powerful realization formed the foundation of his podcasting philosophy and success.

With refreshing candor, Mo describes his inner critic as a "punk-ass" schoolyard bully who must be consistently confronted to lose power. This metaphor resonates deeply as he explains how taking action in the face of fear eventually silences the doubt. The episode offers a masterclass in applying confidence from one area of life to challenges in another—a transferable skill we all possess but rarely utilize.

The conversation reveals surprising developments in Mo's podcasting journey, including invitations from podcast networks and connections with guests from around the world. These successes stand in stark contrast to his initial hesitation, proving how drastically limiting beliefs can misrepresent our potential. Looking forward, Mo shares plans for increased audience engagement, including listener questions and possible live coaching sessions.

What will you do to get out of your own way? As Mo powerfully states: "Stay committed to your journey, because one thing I always tell people: no one else gives a shit about you but you." Take this inspiration and punch your own punk-ass inner critic in the mouth. Remember, "the most effective way to do it is to do it."

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the let's Think About it podcast, where we embark on a journey of thoughtfulness and personal growth. I'm your host, Coach Mo, and I'm here to guide you through thought-promoting discussions that will inspire you to unlock your full potential. In each episode, we'll explore a wide range of topics, from self-discovery and mindfulness to goal-setting and achieving success. Together, we'll challenge conventional thinking and dive deep into the realms of possibility. Whether you're looking to find clarity in your personal or professional life, or seeking strategies to overcome obstacles, this podcast is your go-to source for insightful conversations and practical advice. So find a comfortable spot, chill and let's embark on this journey of self-improvement together. Remember, the power of transformation lies within you, and together we'll uncover the tools and insights you need to make it happen. So let's dive in. Welcome to another episode of the let's Think About it podcast. I'm your host, Coach Mo, and I'm here with another amazing guest. Her name is Michelle Schaefer. Michelle, what's?

Speaker 2:

up. Hey Mo, how are you?

Speaker 1:

I'm great. I'm really excited. I just want to let the audience know we're changing it up today. This is number 50. And so I invited Michelle back to the show because we have such a great time. I had to bring you back because we're going to do a role reversal today. I want you to interview me because this is a big deal for me. This is really special for me Number 50 episodes. So I'm going to be handing the mic to Michelle and Michelle's going to interview me. What are your thoughts about that?

Speaker 2:

You know what I think in life, when you change things up and you do things differently, that's when the magic happens. That's what I'm talking about. If you think of just the number 50, it's a milestone for birthdays, but it's certainly a milestone for your podcast. Why are you excited for your 50th episode?

Speaker 1:

From day one. I remember when I was thinking about doing this, the inner critic was present. The inner critic fear how to overcome that? Right? Yeah, it was a space in my life where and we're just talking about a year and a half ago where I wanted to do this podcast, not sure what it was going to be about, and then I kept putting it off. I was procrastinating for maybe about a month, though it wasn't too long that I procrastinated, but it was about a month and that's big for me because I'm a just do it type guy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and I remember thinking in that moment like who am I to be providing value to people? What do I know? What your voice isn't? What podcasters voices are you never done this before? What makes you think you're going to be a good podcaster? This is the inner critic, and this is from a guy who finds I find myself to be extremely successful. Right, I've created a coaching program for the organization that I work with. I received multiple awards in my coaching efforts. I've been a talented top level athlete. So you know I'm very successful in my own right, but this inner critic just really got in my way. But at the end of the day, I just did it right.

Speaker 1:

And I remember thinking man, if you're going to do this, just be consistent, just be consistent. And from one to here we are at number 50. I know it's special because I walk the talk right. We talk about the inner critic and how it gets in people's way and things like that. And I'm a walking testimonial for that, because it got in my way to launch this podcast and so I'm really proud of myself that I'm at 50.

Speaker 2:

You got to 50 and that's not easy in the podcasting world, right? There's a number of people who might start, maybe they do a few episodes and they think, oh, this isn't exactly what I was hoping for, but you haven't. You've shown up every single time and you know it's really interesting. As you were sharing about that inner critic, I could feel the heaviness they first started even just thinking about wanting to do this. There were so many of those limiting beliefs. I can't do this. I don't sound like other people, so I'd love to know what's one thing that you did to turn the volume down on that inner critic that gave you a way forward, that actually gave you the impetus to start this.

Speaker 1:

Action, that's the simplest way I can put it. Yeah, just doing it, it getting into the fight. Because for me, I remember when I put the headset on and I just started talking, okay, all the fear went away and then from that moment, I felt my value. Okay, I did, and it was a good feeling, regardless of how the content or the message was perceived. It felt good, getting it out, absolutely. It propelled me to do the next one. Okay. Then it propelled me to do another one, then another one, wow.

Speaker 1:

And then I learned the concept of bringing on guests talk to them. That can help alleviate some of the anxiety that I might be feeling, coming up with a full show to talk through for 30, 45, whatever the time was. But at the end of the day, it was the action. And then I said to myself you're in control, you are. If I want to speak for 10 minutes, I can speak for 10 minutes. If I want to speak for an hour, I can speak for an hour. It's your show, I can do what I want. And that just kept me going and I was like man, I'm the creator of this, I do what I want to do. Yes.

Speaker 2:

Well, and I think, too, like one of the things in a podcast world that can keep things going, too is knowing that you're providing that value to your listeners. So I'm really curious what have you heard from your listeners over the 50 episodes? What's some of the feedback that you hear from people that tune in that listen that you know are being impacted by what you're sharing?

Speaker 1:

I think it's really like I get random messages, like I heard this episode and it was really impactful, or I like when the guest was talking about such and it came right in time because I was just thinking about transitioning into a job or this situation. I think I get the most response from people when we're talking about the inner critic and fear and things like that. People when we're talking about the inner critic and fear and things like that, because people are always looking for different perspectives and avenues on how they can take that next step. The biggest for me, though, was I think it was I can't think of the episode number, but it was the title of it was Taming your Punk-Ass Inner Critic.

Speaker 2:

That was my favorite. What was it about that episode that stands out for you?

Speaker 1:

Because the experience of how I deal with the inner critic and it's like a bully, right, think of your kid, you're going to school, right, and then you got the good crowd. And then you got just ordinary kids. And I'm an ordinary kid, right, and I'm going to school. And then you got this popular guy. He's just always trying to push you around. Bully, you take your lunch money, right, takes your lunch money. You don't defend your lunch money, you don't defend yourself. So he gets more courage and he does it again. And then he does it again. And then, before you know it, you're avoiding him, you disengaging, you're afraid. All of these things happen, right, until you're you punch the bully in the mouth. He may still come back and cause another fight, but every day you punch the bully back, eventually he'll stop showing up to try to take your money because he knows there's going to be a fight involved with that. Right, that's exactly how my inner critic is showing up for me, wow, showing up for me, wow.

Speaker 2:

and I labeled it punk ass because he was wrong for putting these flawed thoughts in my head. Yes, you tell them to get out there's no room for you here.

Speaker 1:

And so it creates this narrative in our mind that around these limiting beliefs, these assumptions, and it affects our emotional state of being in that moment where we carry certain worry, certain doubts, certain fears, and we avoid taking action until you learn how to tame it. And that's what the power was in that episode for me.

Speaker 2:

That's excellent and your experience is going to serve as inspiration for others. Now, in that episode you were talking about, like your own inner critic as it relates to being a podcast host, but you can apply those learnings to any situation. There's so many things where limiting beliefs are just at the root of us not doing anything. We feel held back by ourselves, and so what inspiration you've been able to give to your listeners and people tuning in, where you know anybody can listen to that episode and think, hey, I can do that. That's a way that I can turn down the volume on that inner critic and actually be able to take action. I'm really curious about something and this is a hard question because it's when you have kids. You never want to choose a favorite. But I'm going to ask you, mo, out of all your guests, kind of, what was the like, the guests that stood out for you? What were they talking about? As you reflect on your 50 episodes?

Speaker 1:

One was mentorship. I did a podcast episode on mentorship. I think that was number 43.

Speaker 2:

Look at you your numbers and the topic.

Speaker 1:

Now I take a lot of pride in this. I really do, but I think she was number 43. And the reason why I love I like Deborah I think her name was Deborah, but we talked about the mentorship program, her mentorship program and she created this platform worldwide where people can give back and they can join this project and become a mentor or volunteer or be an ambassador. So much just giving.

Speaker 1:

And what really resonated with me about that particular episode and having a conversation with her is so many of us, through our lives, through our journeys, we get to a certain point and we really do want to give back. And she was sharing how an individual and how it got started. This person wanted to give back an individual and how it got started. This person wanted to give back and he was about to retire and move into his go back into the farm and just retire into the sunset, but he didn't have that peace to give to someone his knowledge and he really yearned to give away his knowledge to someone, but there was no people, no mentees available to take the knowledge from him. So she ultimately created this organization that connects mentors with mentees, from kids as young as kindergarten to graduate level students, and so it was just, yeah, it was amazing and I was like you know what, sign me up, I want to participate, I want to give back, and I just thought it was a very powerful episode because we also had the opportunity to break down mentorship versus coaching, versus counseling, and just really differentiating them and breaking it down, and I thought it was one of my favorite episodes.

Speaker 1:

Another one was with you, of course, talking about career transitions, and then I had another woman that I felt I think her name was Gina. I forgot what episode she was, but she was also a career transitional coach and she just came with so much energy, so much insight. I was so appreciative of her approach to career transitions. But in all, man, all of my episodes are my favorite episodes because it's hard to pick. It's hard to pick and then the most important thing is I'm connecting with amazing people.

Speaker 1:

These amazing people are reaching out to me to come on my show and that makes me feel so honored, so blessed, so appreciative that you want to reach out to me to come on to my show, right, sure, yeah, you're doing such a good thing appreciative that you want to reach out to me, to come on to my show, right?

Speaker 2:

Sure, yeah, you're doing such a good thing, and being a podcast host is partly about like sharing learnings and like widening the view of people who are listening. But then that other part is just like you're, you're giving back to individuals. You're giving people a platform to be able to share, to be able to talk about themselves. I can only imagine like being a podcast host is a lot of work. You're giving me a taste of it here. Being able to interview you which, by the way, is such an incredible honor that you had asked me to do this for your 50th episode. I'm incredibly flattered and I'm also getting an appreciation of what's it like on the other side of the microphone. So tell us all. I'm really curious about this how do you plan out your guest roster, like, how do you figure out what you're going to talk about and when? Give us some insight on what happens behind the scenes.

Speaker 1:

First and foremost, I have to keep it as simple as possible. I'm a very intuitive type coach, so when you come on my show as a guest, I don't have a list of questions that I ask. Being a coach, one of the things that we do is we let the client drive the agenda, is we let the client drive the agenda and we just show up very intuitive and ask powerful questions. I take that concept to the show, right, and it really starts with the introduction every single time, right. I come in with all of this energy and I'm excited and I have this amazing guest right and the fact that I have that energy it makes them feel comfortable, that I'm excited for them to be here. It's the one question that I ask tell me who you are and what you do and the type of value you bring to the people you work with. That's excellent.

Speaker 2:

From there, my intuition drives the interview and I think that's what makes you not only an engaging host, but also an authentic one, because you don't have that list of canned questions and you know you're going through step by step.

Speaker 2:

What one person shares is like the gateway or a doorway to another question and something else that you're curious about, and then what they share, there is a gateway into something else, and so I love how, first of all, people are approaching you to come onto your show, but you're creating this content in a really organic way, and I can say that, having been one of your guests, there was we had a topic, but that was really about it. You were just bringing your curiosity to the table every single time with every question. It was something that you were genuinely interested in, because you knew that your listeners would be interested as well, and so, as you have been reflecting on your 50 episodes, mo, I'm wondering if there has ever been something that I don't know maybe it was surprising, maybe it was a bit unexpected that happened in your podcast, or maybe it was something somebody shared that you thought, whoa, like that's going to stop everybody in their tracks. What are you thinking about as you reflect on your 50?

Speaker 1:

Gosh, I think the biggest thing that sticks out with me the most is how random people find me and reach out to be on the show, just from out of the blue field. That's amazing to me because I take a lot of pride and honor in my integrity and my professional presence as a coach and what I'm putting out there Doing these podcasts. I really try to provide as much value to my listeners and I try to put myself in their seat listening to the show. And what question would I be having when I'm interviewing the guests as an audience, as a listener, what would I want to know from the guests? And I think I really try to take that perspective and because of that perspective, like you said, I'm very authentic as a host. Yeah, and it sends out the waves. When we talk about the universe, we talk about energy.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, totally.

Speaker 1:

To certain people reach out to me, like I just had this woman reach out to me and just shot me an email and I don't even know where she came from. Maybe it was LinkedIn, maybe it was my website. Maybe it was LinkedIn, maybe it was my website, maybe it was social. I have no idea. And so that also tells me, like man, you need to track better mechanisms. Analytics on the back.

Speaker 2:

You've got big reach.

Speaker 1:

When I look back on episode one, which was just a basic introduction of who I am, what gives me the credibility to be a coach and talk on a podcast? That was episode one, just basic introduction of who Maurice Mabry is to where I am now. I moved the needle. I moved the needle and to the point where people are searching for me and people are inviting me to join their podcast networks. Oh, that's a different level. So I've had three different networks reach out to me to be a part of their network and we're talking distribution, we're talking contracts, we're talking all of that.

Speaker 2:

Nice. And that's the basis of value, not just to your listeners, but to your peers. Like other podcast hosts that are doing what you're doing, I think that's amazing.

Speaker 1:

It is amazing and it's an honor, and trusting your intuition yourself, your spirit, to help me navigate that journey.

Speaker 2:

What's interesting, what you shared just there. If I'm like just to connect back to how we started this conversation, which was those limiting beliefs, right, that were really present, like before you started, before you launched your podcast, and to hear things come so far the other way, right, seeing like not only is there a value to your listeners, there's a value to your peers. People are seeking you out. Other podcast hosts want you to be part of their network. That, like, completely debunks all of those limiting beliefs.

Speaker 2:

This reality flies in the face of how you felt when you first got everything going. That shows me I'm going to put my coach hat on now that shows just an incredible amount of growth and awareness, and those are all things that certainly are valuable outside of the podcast world. These are things that are valuable in the businesses that we have and for ourselves as a coach and just in our lives. Really fascinating for me to hear that. Thank you for sharing that, mo. You know how, when you go see a movie, some movies at the end will have a blooper reel, like those funny things that don't make it into the movies, but they were big oops moments and they're funny and maybe things that were unexpected. I'm wondering do you have any moments that would end up in your blooper reel for the first 50 episodes?

Speaker 1:

I don't, Unfortunately. I don't Because our conversations be so engaged. Right, Our interview that we had did. We had a great time. There was no bloops there. That's how all my episodes are. But here's what I would add and I'm just coming from a value standpoint now, because this is just who I am and just trying to help people really understand how to get out of their own way Right. And going back to the full circle, how I've talked about this inner critic and how it affected me getting this podcast launched. And here I am now, Right here you are here.

Speaker 1:

We are Every not every aspect of our life, but a certain aspect in our lives. We deal with this, and there's other aspects in your life that you are extremely successful. The inner critic doesn't even tap into that because you're so confident in what it is that you do, right. So what I've learned is how do I take that process of whatever it is that I'm good at, that got me there, and apply it in the moment that the inner critic is present and limiting me, and that takes a lot of self-awareness. It really does, and it's not easy. It's easy. It's easy, but it's not easy.

Speaker 1:

It's easy, it sounds easy, right, when you like, really reflect on whatever you are successful in, right, what that process was that got you there. Yeah, you look at it as, yeah, I did this and I'm good, yeah, but then you have this inner critic and this other area of your life that you're just like, oh, I can't do that, or you just ignore it, avoid it, whatever. How about trying that process where you were successful? Yeah, the deep, like where did that confidence come from and how did you obtain that confidence in that process? To obtain that confidence, take it, pick it up, move it over here and drop it in there and mimic that process.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's right.

Speaker 1:

So many places so many different places. And it comes back to self-awareness and action, because in the moment of the inner critic being present about their podcast at some point, I was unaware that the inner critic was present. I was just procrastinating. Oh wow, and then it was like man, you said you were going to do this. It's already been two weeks. What is going on? But then what I noticed is anytime that I'm successful, seriously, anytime Mo is very successful, I just do it, I just move forward, I don't think about it.

Speaker 2:

You're like Nike Just do it, just do it.

Speaker 1:

The most effective way to do it is to do it Yep. And the thing is, we all have that. We just got to get out of our own way.

Speaker 2:

Get out of our own way. That's true. Like we, we put up those roadblocks for ourselves and nobody can remove them for us. We need to do them for ourselves. I'm curious as we start to take this conversation home. I'm really interested to know 50 episodes this is number 50. Let's look forward for a moment. What's your vision for the next 50? What's your vision for the 50 after that?

Speaker 1:

for a moment. What's your vision for the next 50? What's your vision for the 50 after that? My vision for the next 50 is to be more interactive with the audience and start taking in more coaching scenario type questions that people might be experiencing and want to know how to navigate certain fears. Having more engagement with other coaches on the show to help answer some of those questions and how they approach certain things. Being more engaged with my audience and understanding more so of what they want, what they need and being more intentional to get that for them. I think the first 50 was really getting off the couch, creating consistency, proving to myself that I can do this and just riding the journey. I think the next phase is having creating more engagement opportunities with the audience to get them more active into the show. Maybe it's not live, but maybe giving them the opportunity to submit questions so that I can answer the questions on the show. Do some even create opportunities where I do live coaching on the show at some point?

Speaker 2:

And I love it Like you're thinking forward. You're pivoting a little bit, like thinking about other things that you can bring into your podcast. You've been offering lots of value to your listeners up until this point. There's a future of more value and that's certainly going to be really exciting to look forward to. As we wrap up this conversation, mo, what are some final thoughts as you reflect on the first 50 episodes in this amazing podcast of yours?

Speaker 1:

down to your viewpoint of that roadblock and what are you willing to do to get out of your own way so that you can overcome the roadblock, leap over the roadblock, run through the roadblock? Whatever that decision is, you're the only one that truly judges your own journey. So stay committed to your journey, because one thing that I always tell people no one else gives a shit about you but you yeah, Because no one walks your walk the way that you walk your walk.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Your spouse, your loved one. They do love you, they do care about you, but they don't walk your thoughts. The way you walk your thoughts, no one else can. That's your thoughts and the most effective way to do it is to do it because when you do it, you're positioning yourself to get out of your own way. That's what I would leave people with.

Speaker 2:

That's amazing. I love that. I love especially how you were just talking about the commitment, almost like the contract that we make with ourselves. Right, and you shared it towards the end. Stay committed to your journey and when we make that commitment to ourselves, we can do anything right. We can host a podcast, we can change jobs. We can do so many things in life. So thank you, mo, for sharing just so many things in life. So thank you, mo, for sharing like just so many really valuable reflections. You're leaving your listeners even today like with more value things that they can do in their own lives. Again, it's been such an honor for me to have this conversation with you on this very special 50th episode and I wish you so much success in the 50 still to come episode and I wish you so much success in the 50s still to come.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, michelle, and a huge thank you to you. Big shout out to you. I appreciate your time. I love your energy. You're always welcome here. Thank you. Tell us about your book, the name of your book, really quick.

Speaker 2:

It is called Cultivating Career Growth, Navigating Transitions with Purpose, so you know it's geared for people who are looking for new work, whether they're falling out of love with what they're doing now or whether they've been restructured. There's a lot of job loss in our society right now, and so it could be the perfect companion to help people as they navigate a job search with confidence. So I really look forward to having that conversation with you. That's going to be so much fun.

Speaker 1:

It is going to be fun. And lastly, how can you be found? Because you've done such a great job of being a guest podcast host, you might get some out there.

Speaker 2:

This was definitely stepping out of my comfort zone, let me tell you. It was a whole new experience for me, but very fun, because you create that very safe space to have these conversations. So if individuals are looking to find me, the best way is actually if you visit my website. It's mshafercoachingca. We'll make sure to drop it in the show notes after. And if you're looking for my book, if you click on that my book tab you'll be able to do two things. You can order the book directly from Amazon or, if you want to try before you buy, you can get access to a free chapter which will give you a flavor of what the book's about before you order it. So please visit me there. You can also find me on LinkedIn. I post on career transition topics all the time.

Speaker 1:

Sounds great. Thank you so much.

Speaker 2:

Thank you Mo, Congratulations again.

Speaker 1:

Thank you. Thank you for joining me in this episode of let's Think About it. Your time and attention are greatly appreciated. If you found value in today's discussion, I encourage you to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. I encourage you to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. Remember, the journey of self-improvement is ongoing and I'm here to support you every step of the way. Connect with me on social media for updates and insights. You can find me on Instagram and Facebook at Coach Mo Coaching, or LinkedIn at Maurice Mabry, or visit my website at mauricemabrycom for exclusive content. Until next time, keep reflecting, keep growing and, most importantly, keep believing in yourself. Remember, the most effective way to do it is to do it Together. We're making incredible strides toward a better and more empowered you, so thank you and I'll see you in our next episode.