Daily Boost - Motivation and Coaching

Scott Smith - Motivation and Coaching

Start your day with practical philosophy that actually works. In under 10 minutes, Scott Smith cuts through the noise with straight talk about navigating life's messy middle—where personal and professional challenges collide. No hype. No fluff. Just 20 years of hard-won wisdom, Stoic principles, and real stories from someone who's been there. Monday through Friday, learn to think clearly, act wisely, and build a life that's actually yours.

  1. 44 MIN AGO

    Time to Creatively Destruct Your Life 

    End of year. Time to reinvent yourself. Sometimes tweaking what you've got just doesn't cut it. Sometimes you need to blow it up and start fresh. I call it creative destruction. This episode digs into why waiting for perfect alignment keeps you stuck. You're tired because you're not inspired. And why your current activity might be completely incompatible with your future self. Ready to stop patching and start building? This conversation gives you permission to make radical changes. No apologies needed. Featured Story I was sitting with a client who looked defeated. Completely stuck. He kept saying he was trying to figure out how to become his future self. But everything he was doing today just wouldn't get him there. He thought he could figure it out. I gave him the shortcut. Ditch it. Do something else. The relief on his face was instant. He didn't need my solution. He needed permission to walk away from what obviously wasn't working so he could figure out what would. That's creative destruction. Not giving up. Clearing space for what's next. Important Points Your current activity might be completely incompatible with your future self, and that's okay. Waiting for stars to align before making a move is exhausting and impossible. Sometimes you can't upgrade what you've got—you have to tear it down first. Memorable Quotes "The reason you're tired is because you're not inspired." "Sometimes you can't go over. Sometimes you can't go around. Sometimes you can't go under. Sometimes you're completely trapped. The only thing you do is blow it up." "Don't worry about what anybody else thinks. You know why? Because as soon as you do it, they're going to say, what took you so long?" Scott's Three-Step Approach Give yourself permission that everything might need to change—not just minor adjustments, but radical shifts in direction. Stop trying to upgrade what's fundamentally broken or incompatible with where you want to go. Embrace the scary moment of decision, then act—everything changes the second you commit to blowing it up. Chapter Notes 0:00 - New theme song and big YouTube announcement coming 1:01 - When your current self can't become your future self 2:55 - How creative destruction actually works in real life 4:39 - Give yourself grace to make radical changes this year 6:15 - Stop patching and painting what needs replacing 7:12 - The obstacle is the way: sometimes you blow it up Connect With Me Search for the Daily Boost on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify Email: support@motivationtomove.com Main Website: motivationtomove.com YouTube: youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast Instagram: @heyscottsmith Facebook Page: facebook.com/motivationtomove Facebook Group: Join the Daily Boost Community Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    11 min
  2. You Might Also Like: Pursuit: The Founders' Guide to Happiness

    54 MIN AGO · BONUS

    You Might Also Like: Pursuit: The Founders' Guide to Happiness

    Introducing Episode 10: Cleanliness with John Quincy Adams from Pursuit: The Founders' Guide to Happiness. Follow the show: Pursuit: The Founders' Guide to Happiness By the end of his life, John Quincy Adams was an ardent opponent of slavery, earning the nickname “Old Man Eloquent” for his fierce advocacy in the House of Representatives. In this episode, Jeffrey Rosen, Professor David Waldstreicher and filmmaker Ken Burns unpack how this son of the Revolution became Congress’s primary enemy of slavery. Now that you’ve learned that the pursuit of happiness means being good, not feeling good, how has that affected your daily life? Send a voice message with your thoughts on this question and we may even include excerpts in our final episode. Stay Connected and Learn More Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr  Explore the America at 250 Civic Toolkit Learn more about the NCC’s and Arizona State University's new online course on civic virtue, 'What the Founders Meant by “Happiness”: A Journey Through Virtue and Character’ and sign up for email updates  Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube Support our important work: Donate Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness is made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation. © 2025 National Constitution Center. All Rights Reserved. DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

  3. 3 DAYS AGO

    Creating Your Wonderful Life

    We're playing off that Jimmy Stewart movie today because you can actually create a wonderful life. And right now—when everyone else is busy looking that way—you can go the other way and make it happen. I'm sharing three stupidly simple ways of thinking that should empower you to make any change you want. No more drifting in the winds of life. It's time to start driving through it instead. Fair warning: it's so simple that the complicated nuance gets in the way. But that's what makes us human. Featured Story I have a friend who writes a book every single year. Done just before Christmas. He keeps telling me, "Scott, you should try it." He's right. I should. I'm on my seventh book and haven't finished any of them. Trust me, I get it. But people actually do this. Friends have written entire books over Thanksgiving weekend. Four days. Book done on Monday. Boom. You know why this works? Because right now through mid-January, everyone's busy. Your boss is busy. Your friends are busy. They're all looking that way while you can go the other way. You can write your book. Start a new business. Clean out your garage if you want to keep it that simple. This is the perfect time to do anything you want when nobody's paying attention to you. Important Points • Everything begins when you become aware of what you want and accept that it's up to you to go get it—in my coaching program, I make people answer nine questions daily for 21 days, and they fight me on it until they see how awareness creates change. • If you believe your dream can be real, all you have to do is start living it right now—want to be a writer, sit down and write, you are one just like that, want to be in shape, go to the gym and be in shape, the click is a millisecond in time. • You are the boss of you, which means you can decide to go on a diet on Monday and not do it because the boss said you didn't have to—nobody else has to give you permission to start or stop anything. Memorable Quotes "Most people are drifting in the winds of life. True happiness arrives when you start driving through life instead of drifting in those winds." "If you believe your dream can be real, as soon as you start living it, it will be. The trick is the click. The click is a millisecond in time and you get it and you make things happen." "You're the boss of you. You can decide to go on a diet on Monday and you don't have to do it. You know why? Because the boss said you didn't have to." Scott's Three-Step Approach • Become aware of what you want and accept personal responsibility to go get it—answer the same questions about your life daily until you become so aware that changes naturally start happening and you can't help but take action. • Believe your dream can be real and start living it immediately without talking about it on ChatGPT or anywhere else—if you want to be a runner, go out the door and run, you are one just like that, could it be that easy, yeah it could. • Recognize you're the boss of you and stop planning, start doing—forget wishing and hoping and dreaming, just start with little bits of happiness and work toward your dream every single day because you decided to. Chapter Notes 0:15 - Why this is the perfect season to create change 5:26 - The awareness that changes everything explained 6:08 - When believing your dream makes it instantly real 8:10 - The ChatGPT trap and why talking kills dreams 9:15 - You're the boss of you: permission not required 10:15 - Drifting versus driving through life Connect With Me Search for the Daily Boost on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify Email: support@motivationtomove.com Main Website: motivationtomove.com YouTube: youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast Instagram: @heyscottsmith Facebook Page: facebook.com/motivationtomove Facebook Group: Join the Daily Boost Community Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    12 min
  4. 4 DAYS AGO

    Emerging Into Who You Are

    After 20 years in this chair, I'm seeing something that challenges everything the personal growth world teaches about becoming your future self. What if you're not trying to become someone new? What if the person you're searching for is already inside you, waiting for the right conditions to emerge? I'm sharing a brand new model that came together on a Wednesday morning call. It's not about motivation or forcing change. It's about creating the conditions where that feeling you've been chasing—that thing you just can't quite touch—naturally appears. Featured Story I was sitting on my 7 a.m. Face Your Passion Inner Circle call Wednesday morning, wearing my alpaca hoodie because it's been so damn cold everywhere. Years ago, you'd never have convinced me I'd get out of bed for a 7 a.m. call. But when you hang out with people willing to show up and go all in that early, your life changes. During the call, I shared this emerging model I've been developing. And I watched it happen multiple times—that moment when someone's body language shifts, their breathing changes, and you see them go "Oh." That's where life is lived. Those small moments of emergence. It got me thinking about retirement too. People keep asking if I'm done after 20 years. Now when they ask what I do, I just say I'm retired. They go "Oh, that's good," and we move on. I emerged into being able to say that. Interesting how that works. Important Points • You'll change when you wear yourself out, and that's not negative—it's the natural process of pieces coming together until you finally go, "Oh, I should do this instead of that." • Everybody knows exactly what they want and how they want to feel, but they can't quite describe it—it's that thing you just can't touch, that moment when everything feels good and you think, "Damn, this is good." • Who you want to be isn't your past, present, or future self—it's an emergent property that appears when conditions are right, like consciousness emerging from neural activity or life emerging from chemistry. Memorable Quotes "You will change when you wear yourself out. You want motivation? If life is not going the way you want it to go, it's okay. You'll get tired one day, you'll change." "I believe that everybody knows exactly what they want, how they want to feel, but they can't quite describe it. It's that thing you just can't touch." "The Person who you actually are emerges. That mythical me, that person inside of you where we're like, if I could only get this feeling all the time, is it possible? Yes, it is." Scott's Three-Step Approach • Accumulate wisdom through pattern recognition across all domains of your life—it's not just reading more books or living longer, it's the integration of learning with actual living and understanding principles through experience. • Practice consistency over intensity by showing up regardless of motivation and building a bridge between your accumulated wisdom and future intentions through sequential daily action in actual conditions. • Navigate the messy middle instead of trying to escape it—get tools and techniques to manage the collision zone where life, home, and inner self converge, because that's where the magic happens and where you'll emerge. Chapter Notes 0:15 - The warm studio and why 7 a.m. calls changed everything 3:27 - Challenging the future self model after 20 years 5:05 - The four-step emergence model revealed 6:24 - Building the bridge between wisdom and intention 7:49 - Why the messy middle is where magic happens 9:11 - Caring without caring: detached engagement explained 10:44 - The retirement emergence story Connect With Me Search for the Daily Boost on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify Email: support@motivationtomove.com Main Website: motivationtomove.com YouTube: youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast Instagram: @heyscottsmith Facebook Page: facebook.com/motivationtomove Facebook Group: Join the Daily Boost Community Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    12 min
  5. 5 DAYS AGO

    Is the Universe Whispering to You?

    That voice in your head keeps nudging you in a direction. You hear the same message from different sources. Random conversations suddenly feel connected. Is something trying to get your attention? I'm a practical guy who doesn't chase unicorns, but I can't ignore what happens when life starts dropping hints. As we head into winter and the holidays, messages have a way of getting louder. Most people already know what direction they should be going. They're just not willing to lean into it. This episode breaks down how to recognize when something's genuinely calling for your attention and what to do about it before you drive yourself crazy sitting on the fence. Featured Story It's 36 degrees in my Daytona Beach studio with a wind chill at 31. I'm wrapped in my alpaca hoodie thinking about how this time of year shifts us into reflection mode. I've coached thousands of people over the years, and something wild keeps happening. I'll share an insight with someone, and they'll look at me like I'm reading their mind. "Are you inside my head?" they ask. Kind of. Because we're all just humans navigating the same patterns. For me, the universe whispers all day long. I believe God created it, so those whispers feel like guidance. You can have whatever belief you want. But after years of coaching and living, I've noticed messages come in triplicate. Three times is when I start paying real attention. Hard-headed and distracted as I am, even I can't ignore the pattern by the third time. Important Points When seemingly random situations and people deliver the same message within a short time frame, your path is being altered whether you recognize it or not. You already know what direction you should be going, and if you're heading the wrong way, you know that too—you're just not willing to lean into what's obvious. When something gets your attention, you've got three choices: say yes and go for it, say no and move on, or sit on the fence getting splinters forever. Memorable Quotes "Most people already know kind of what direction they should be going. And usually if they're going the wrong direction, they kind of already know that. They're just not willing to lean into it." "If it starts getting your attention, it's real. Anything that gets your attention, it's going to take you down the road." "Eventually you will change when you wear yourself out. When you get tired of rejecting what is obvious that you have to do, you're going to do it anyway." Scott's Three-Step Approach Notice the pattern. Pay attention when the same message appears through different people, situations, or sources within days or a week—that's your signal something matters. Ask what you're supposed to learn. When patterns emerge, stop resisting and get curious about the lesson or direction being presented to you. Choose and act. Make the call—yes, no, or fence-sitting—but know that fence-sitting just delays the inevitable while causing unnecessary pain. Chapter Notes 0:15 - Cold morning spirituality: Winter reflection begins 2:03 - Practical vs theoretical: Why I skip the unicorns 2:58 - Messages and guidance: Life's crazy sum total 4:01 - The triplicate rule: When to actually pay attention 7:45 - Three choices framework: Stop driving yourself crazy 9:22 - Eventually you'll change: Wearing yourself out 9:40 - Watch for your messages: The next two months matter Connect With Me Search for the Daily Boost on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify Email: support@motivationtomove.com Main Website: motivationtomove.com YouTube: youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast Instagram: @heyscottsmith Facebook Page: facebook.com/motivationtomove Facebook Group: Join the Daily Boost Community Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    12 min
  6. 6 DAYS AGO

    Choosing Your Word for the Year

    Think having a word of the year means picking one generic term and calling it good? I tried that. It didn't work. Last year I went with "joyful" and it was solid. But this year I realized something during an Inner Circle call that changed everything. One word isn't enough if it doesn't tell you exactly what to do. My clients were throwing out words like "focused" and "determined," and I could see it in their faces. They were trapped. Today I'm sharing why I broke the rules and went with two words instead of one. You'll learn how to make your word actually mean something and why high concept thinking beats generic motivation every time. Featured Story I named last year "joiful" after my wife. J-O-I full. Her name is Joi, so I got to tell her all year that I named my year after her. Smart move on my part. But honestly, I did it because happiness kept slipping away. I realized we're not here to be happy all the time. Life gets hard. But we can be joyful in any situation. That shift mattered. This year I needed something different. Something more specific. I started with "simple" because I've been saying for 20 years that simple works. But when I tested it with my Inner Circle, I saw the problem immediately. Simple what? Simple where? It was too broad to actually use. That's when I decided to break the rules. Important Points A word of the year only works if it's high concept. You should instantly know what it means and how to use it when you see or hear it. Generic words like "focused" or "determined" sound good but don't give you direction. If your word could apply to everything, it applies to nothing. Sometimes you need to empower your word with a second word to make it specific enough to matter. Don't be trapped by someone else's rules. Memorable Quotes "I like simple. Simple works. I've said this for 20 years on this program." "When it's everywhere, it becomes really, really washed out, and you just can't do much with it." "So my one word is two, strategically simple. I'm going to break the rules." Scott's Three-Step Approach Make your word high concept so anyone who hears it instantly understands what you mean. If it needs explanation, it's not the right word. Test your word by asking where it applies. If the answer is "everywhere," you need to get more specific or add context. Don't be afraid to empower your word with a second word that defines how you'll use it. Rules are meant to be broken when they don't serve you. Chapter Notes 0:15 - Why one word might not be enough for you 1:24 - How observational motivation actually works 3:13 - The trap of generic words and vague intentions 4:28 - What high concept really means for your life 6:45 - Why strategically simple beats just simple 8:30 - Breaking the rules to make your word matter Connect With Me Search for the Daily Boost on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify Email: support@motivationtomove.com Main Website: motivationtomove.com YouTube: youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast Instagram: @heyscottsmith Facebook Page: facebook.com/motivationtomove Facebook Group: Join the Daily Boost Community word of the year, goal setting, new year planning, personal growth, intentional living, high concept thinking, simplicity, strategic planning, observational motivation, breaking rules, specificity, clarity, Scott Smith, Daily Boost, Inner Circle coaching Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    12 min
  7. 10 NOV

    Fixing What Doesn't Need to Be Fixed

    Ever catch yourself tweaking and fixing things that honestly work just fine? I spent last week watching smart people waste time optimizing stuff that should just be eliminated. We do it in business. We do it in life. We convince ourselves we're being productive when we're actually spinning our wheels. Today I'm sharing the exact framework that gets anything done without the busy work. You'll learn when to optimize, when to eliminate, and why most of us do it completely backward. Plus, the three non-negotiables that make everything else possible. Featured Story My 93-year-old mom is coming to visit this week. She told me she wants to watch me record the podcast. After all these years, she's finally curious about what I actually do. Never thought I'd see the day. But it got me thinking about all the conversations I have every week with clients who are stuck. They're tweaking. They're adjusting. They're optimizing things that frankly don't need to exist in their lives at all. They're like engineers trying to perfect something that should just be thrown away. I realized I needed to share the framework that changed everything for me. The one that separates people who get stuff done from people who stay busy. Important Points The most expensive mistake you can make is trying to optimize something that should be eliminated. Stop tweaking what needs to go. Everything you've ever accomplished followed the same pattern: belief, blueprint, execution. Miss any of those three and nothing happens. Life should be boring and repeatable once you get it right. Drama is just garnish. If your life isn't peaceful, you're optimizing in the wrong places. Memorable Quotes "The most expensive and virtually useless engineer on the planet is the one who tries to optimize something that should not be optimized." "If you don't believe in your heart that you can get something done, you're just not going to do it." "Life should be repeatable and boring every step of the way. Drama should be there just for garnish." Scott's Three-Step Approach Start by eliminating everything that doesn't fit before you try to get more efficient. Clean house first, optimize second. Focus only on belief, blueprint, and execution until you have a rhythm. Don't worry about perfection until you're actually moving forward. Once you've eliminated the clutter and built momentum, then optimize only what you know you need. Not everything deserves your attention. Chapter Notes 0:15 - Stop fixing what isn't broken in your life 3:35 - The three steps that create anything you want 4:44 - Why most people never move past the blueprint 6:30 - When to reduce and when to optimize for results 8:15 - Making life boring in the best possible way Connect With Me Search for the Daily Boost on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify Email: support@motivationtomove.com Main Website: motivationtomove.com YouTube: youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast Instagram: @heyscottsmith Facebook Page: facebook.com/motivationtomove Facebook Group: Join the Daily Boost Community productivity, personal growth, motivation, goal setting, success habits, eliminate distractions, optimization, efficiency, belief and action, execution, decluttering life, reducing complexity, framework for success, getting things done, Scott Smith, Daily Boost Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    12 min
  8. 7 NOV

    Practice in Private, Win in Public

    Episode Description Scott gives you ultimate freedom today. Permission to build your dream in private. Without telling anyone. Without asking for permission. Without performing for an audience. This week, you discovered your internal mission, identified the 80% stealing your vision, learned the one question that filters everything, and took control of your agenda. Today brings the final piece—protecting your vision by practicing privately until you're ready to share publicly. Two clients got more done in three days than they had in three months. Their secret? Nobody knew what they were working on. They just worked. Scott reveals why every successful person he knows does the same thing—and why the holiday season is the perfect time to go dark and get busy. Featured Story Scott got two messages from clients after the holiday weekend. First message: "I decided to spend the weekend practicing what I do in private so I'll be praised in public. I didn't tell anyone what I was working on. I just worked on it. I got more done in three days than in the last three months." Second message: "I completed a new project over the weekend and I'm heading in a completely new direction." Scott was stunned. "I didn't even know you were working on a project. Why didn't you mention it?" She said, "I know. I'm learning. Nobody needs to know what I'm doing. I just did it." Scott does a ton of coaching. Dozens of people every single week. One thing has become crystal clear—people need permission. He gives them permission to go do something. Pull out their laptop this weekend and write their book. Work on that project. Build that thing. And they do it. Every time. Here's what Scott learned: Close the door. Do what Scott would do. Get it done. Then show up and say, "Hey, look what I did." That's the secret of every successful person he knows. Important Points There's a massive difference between secrecy and privacy—secrecy is hiding because you're ashamed, privacy is protecting because you're wise. Share your vision with everyone before it's fully formed, and people start redefining it in real time, turning your dream into their vision. The holiday season is when high performers get busy because everyone else is distracted—you'll close the door and work while they shop for deals. Memorable Quotes "Nobody needs to know what I'm doing. I just did it." "Secrecy is hiding because you're ashamed. Privacy is protecting because you're wise." "When everybody else is busy and looking the other direction and isn't poking their nose in your business—that's when you get things done." Scott's Three-Step Approach Practice privately until you're ready to share with the world—nobody needs to know what you're doing until you're ready. Do not tell people what you're doing this weekend—just do it while everyone else is busy looking the other direction. Use the holiday season to go dark and get busy while others are distracted—come back in January and blow their minds. Chapter Notes 0:15 - Ultimate freedom: permission to build privately 1:43 - Two clients completed months of work quietly 2:55 - Close the door and just make it happen 3:32 - Successful people never announce their plans 5:57 - Secrecy versus privacy: know the difference 7:34 - Three tools that will change your life 8:51 - YouTube launch Monday with new theme song Connect With Me Search for the Daily Boost on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify Email: support@motivationtomove.com Main Website: https://motivationtomove.com YouTube: https://youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast Instagram: @heyscottsmith Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/motivationtomove Facebook Group: https://dailyboostpodcast.com/facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    11 min

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Start your day with practical philosophy that actually works. In under 10 minutes, Scott Smith cuts through the noise with straight talk about navigating life's messy middle—where personal and professional challenges collide. No hype. No fluff. Just 20 years of hard-won wisdom, Stoic principles, and real stories from someone who's been there. Monday through Friday, learn to think clearly, act wisely, and build a life that's actually yours.

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