The Audacious Living Podcast

Audley Stephenson
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Self-Improvement

The Audacious Living Podcast🎙unpacks wisdom from guests to help you live your best audacious life ever! #BeAudacious📢

  1. 2d ago

    Breaking the Bias That Keeps Great Leaders Invisible with Michael Dowling

    What if the reason you have never seen yourself as a leader is not a flaw in you, but a flaw in the picture you were given? Michael Dowling spent years in Hollywood performing a version of himself he thought leadership required, until one conversation with his dad flipped the script. Signature Quote "You have a superpower. By being that emotionally aware, you can see things that maybe others don't see. You could see angles, you can see opportunities." This is what his father told him when Michael confessed he was trying to detach from his emotions to look like a leader. That single reframe became the seed of his book and this conversation: the very things we are told to hide may be our greatest strengths. Michael Dowling is a former Hollywood talent agent turned CEO and the author of The Unlikely Leader: Breaking the Bias That Keeps Great Leaders Invisible. He calls it the great leadership myth, the belief that leaders must look and act a certain way. Confident. Charismatic. Pedigreed. That myth does not just mislead companies, it convinces countless capable people to screen themselves out of the leadership conversation entirely. In this episode, Michael introduces his "leadership recognition problem": companies do not have a leadership shortage, they reward the wrong signals. He shares the mindset behavior outcome shift, a practical way to catch the default stories your mind tells under pressure, and the question that unlocks them: what else could be true? You will also hear why every billion-dollar CEO in his networking group suffers from imposter syndrome, and the five-year-old art student who taught him one of his best leadership lessons. THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF... - You have ever thought "I'm not leadership material" and believed it - You lead quietly and wonder if that counts (it does) - You want a practical tool for reframing self-doubt in real time - You hire or develop leaders and suspect you are rewarding the wrong signals - You need permission to stop performing and start practicing leadership as yourself MEET MICHAEL DOWLING Michael Dowling spent years as a Hollywood talent agent, where he learned to spot potential in others while struggling to see it in himself. Performing the power-player role eroded his joy until he walked away and eventually became a CEO, where he discovered that the traits he had tried to suppress, emotional awareness, humility, thoughtfulness, were the very things that made him effective. He is the author of The Unlikely Leader: Breaking the Bias That Keeps Great Leaders Invisible (Sutherland House Experts), written for the people who never saw themselves reflected in the leadership stereotype: first-generation professionals, neurodivergent thinkers, quiet contributors, and everyone who was never expected to lead. He works with companies to audit the signals they reward and with individuals to reframe the mindsets holding them back. CONNECT WITH MICHAEL https://theunlikelyleader.com/ Listen on Major Platforms 🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2jVR6V7X2kRiCCDXE0FTyl?si=IR3TsfEWR3WA6BzfBRnVXQ 🍎 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-audacious-living-podcast/id1547447345 📦 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/9f7902bb-dec8-4bd9-918d-d1fef21b7c67/the-audacious-living-podcast?ref=dm_sh_pGv57yQvAmAQVp2IIaXoDwtFt Enjoying the show? Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this. ⭐ Leave a review: 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/audacious

    Breaking the Bias That Keeps Great Leaders Invisible with Michael Dowling

  2. 3d ago

    Undefeated: What a Pastor Turned FBI Agent Learned About Human Nature

    What if the person sitting across from you in the interrogation room is not a monster, but a human being who lost their way? Eric Robinson spent 24 years in the FBI learning to find the human in everyone, and the training started in the pulpit. Signature Quote "I am through everything I've experienced undefeated. Everything that's come at me, I have gotten past." This is the mindset that carried Eric through two extraordinary careers. It is not bravado, it is arithmetic. Whatever has come at you, you got past it. You are here to tell the story. Eric Robinson traded the pulpit for the FBI and spent 24 years staring into the darkest corners of human nature. Fifteen of those years were on SWAT. He investigated gangs, drug cartels, public corruption, and counter-terrorism threats, earning two Attorney General's Awards along the way. What he found in those dark corners will change how you see everyone, including yourself. His best interrogation tool was the same as his best pastoral tool: suspend judgment, find something in common, and let curiosity do the work. Compassion, it turns out, disarms. This conversation travels far beyond the cool FBI stories into identity, purpose, and our shared humanity. Eric also introduces his memoir, Irreverend, and shares the simple mindset that carried him through it all: he is undefeated, and so are you. THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF... - You are standing at the edge of a bold career pivot and need proof it can work - You want to understand people better, even the difficult ones - You are curious how compassion could be a tactical advantage in your own life - You need a reminder that your track record is stronger than your fear MEET ERIC ROBINSON Eric Robinson is a retired FBI Special Agent, former SWAT operator, and former Baptist pastor whose unlikely career pivot took him from the pulpit to Quantico. In 2002 he preached his final sermon on Easter Sunday. The next week he was at the FBI Academy, becoming the first Eric Robinson in Bureau history. Over 24 years he investigated gangs, drug cartels, public corruption, civil rights cases, organized crime, crimes against children, financial crimes, and counter-terrorism threats, spending 15 years as a SWAT operator. Two of his investigations earned the Attorney General's Award, among the highest honors in the Bureau. He is the author of the memoir Irreverend: From Saving Souls to Chasing Sinners in the FBI. He speaks on courage, human nature, and the power of curiosity drawn from both of his careers. CONNECT WITH ERIC https://preachertobreacher.com/ https://www.instagram.com/_eric_robinson/ Listen on Major Platforms 🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2jVR6V7X2kRiCCDXE0FTyl?si=IR3TsfEWR3WA6BzfBRnVXQ 🍎 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-audacious-living-podcast/id1547447345 📦 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/9f7902bb-dec8-4bd9-918d-d1fef21b7c67/the-audacious-living-podcast?ref=dm_sh_pGv57yQvAmAQVp2IIaXoDwtFt Enjoying the show? Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this. ⭐ Leave a review: 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/audacious

    Undefeated: What a Pastor Turned FBI Agent Learned About Human Nature

  3. 6d ago

    The Performed Man: When the Armor That Protects You Starts Keeping Out the People You Love

    What happens when the armor that protects you starts keeping out the people you love? Mike Poliwoda knows. He wore it for years. Signature Quote "Remove it slowly. Connect slowly." — Mike Poliwoda Why This Quote Matters This is Mike's entire philosophy in five words. No dramatic transformation, no abandoning responsibility. Just a slight shift, enough armor off to be present with the people you love. Mike Poliwoda started writing in 2022, in his fifties, in the middle of a dark time. He began with stories on Substack. In under four years he published five books across genres, from speculative fiction to poetry to nonfiction. His nonfiction book, The Performed Man, names something most providers feel but rarely say out loud: the quiet cost of always being the strong one. In this conversation, Mike gets honest about the years he feels he missed with his kids while trying to be the strong provider, how responsibility slowly morphed into his identity, and the moment he realized the armor had become his permanent skin. He shares why real strength, to him now, is responsibility and endurance, plus connection, communication, and presence. This is not a conversation about abandoning responsibility. It is about a slight shift. As Mike puts it: remove it slowly, connect slowly. This Episode Is for You If... - You are the one everyone counts on, and you are tired of carrying it all alone. - You have ever wondered whether the provider role cost you presence with your family. - You want to be strong without the emotional armor. - You love someone who never takes the armor off. About the Guest Mike Poliwoda is a Canadian author, originally from Toronto and now based in Western Quebec. He started writing in 2022, in his fifties, during a dark time, beginning with stories on Substack. In under four years he published across genres: speculative fiction, literary fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. He now has five books out, with three more in the works. His nonfiction book, The Performed Man: When Financial Responsibility Becomes Identity - A Field Guide, grew out of a lifetime of observations about providers, pressure, and self-worth. It examines how responsibility can slowly morph into identity, and how to reconnect with the people you love without abandoning the strength they count on. A working man, family guy, and former drummer, Mike writes with kindness and zero judgment. His invitation is simple: take an honest look, make a slight shift, and be better for the people you love. Connect With Mike Mike's Substack: https://mikepoliwoda.substack.com The Performed Man on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0H14PBQ3B/ref=mp_s_a_1_1 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-poliwoda-78a9459 Listen on Major Platforms 🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2jVR6V7X2kRiCCDXE0FTyl?si=IR3TsfEWR3WA6BzfBRnVXQ 🍎 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-audacious-living-podcast/id1547447345 📦 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/9f7902bb-dec8-4bd9-918d-d1fef21b7c67/the-audacious-living-podcast?ref=dm_sh_pGv57yQvAmAQVp2IIaXoDwtFt Enjoying the show? Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this. ⭐ Leave a review: 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/audacious

    The Performed Man: When the Armor That Protects You Starts Keeping Out the People You Love

  4. Sep 27

    Say Yes Scared: Toronto Hip-Hop Legend DJX on Courage Before Confidence

    DJX was handed the number one hip-hop radio show in the country and was too scared to open the microphone. He stayed silent for the first two hours. Signature Quote "Having no choice but to walk through the fire. Sometimes that's the only way." DJX Why this quote matters: it captures the heartbeat of this conversation. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is movement inside it. DJX built a legendary career not by waiting to feel ready, but by walking through the fire anyway. Before he was a Toronto hip-hop legend, Adrien King was a shy kid hiding behind the turntables, practicing ten hours a day in the basement. Then one phone call changed everything. Ron Nelson told him, "Forget that guy, man. Come do my show with me." Overnight, DJX went from a good show to the number one show in the country, and straight into the fire. In this conversation, DJX takes us inside those early CKLN Power Move days: the fear of opening the mic, the weight of deciding which local artists got heard, and the slow realization, years later, of how deeply the show shaped a generation. He also shares why he believes the culture has only gained from how it evolved, and what still pulls him back behind the decks. At its core, this is a conversation about audacity in its purest form. As DJX puts it, he says yes and figures it out later. If you have been waiting to feel ready, this episode is your permission slip. This episode is for you if... • You have been waiting to feel confident before starting something big • You grew up on Toronto hip-hop and want the inside story of the Power Move era • You want to understand the difference between preparation and permission • You are curious how legends handle fear (they feel it too) • You need a nudge to say yes before you feel ready About DJX Adrien King, known to generations of hip-hop fans as DJX, is a Toronto hip-hop legend who hosted the iconic CKLN Power Move show in the late eighties and early nineties. Taking over from Ron Nelson, he turned Saturday afternoons into appointment listening, introducing the city to hip-hop in its infancy and championing local Canadian talent when few others would. Behind the legend was relentless preparation: ten-hour practice days, DJ battles, and a work ethic he compares to the Karate Kid's training. Today, Adrien still has his foot in the music as a touring DJ, runs a marketing business he started in 2007, day trades, and is a devoted husband and father. He joins the show to talk about courage, culture, and what it means to say yes scared. Connect with DJX 🌐 Website → https://adrienking.com 📸 Instagram → @adrienking 🎧 Mixcloud → https://www.mixcloud.com/adrienking/ Listen on Major Platforms 🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2jVR6V7X2kRiCCDXE0FTyl?si=IR3TsfEWR3WA6BzfBRnVXQ 🍎 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-audacious-living-podcast/id1547447345 📦 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/9f7902bb-dec8-4bd9-918d-d1fef21b7c67/the-audacious-living-podcast?ref=dm_sh_pGv57yQvAmAQVp2IIaXoDwtFt Enjoying the show? Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this. ⭐ Leave a review: 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/audacious

    Say Yes Scared: Toronto Hip-Hop Legend DJX on Courage Before Confidence

  5. Sep 24

    Praise the Progress: Dr. Christiane Schroeter on Small Steps and Unshakable Confidence

    What if confidence was never the starting line? Dr. Christiane Schroeter has spent years studying how belief actually gets built, and her answer reverses everything most of us were taught. Signature Quote "You just have to be okay with it being very uncomfortable. You know, you have to be okay with it not being okay." This line carries the episode's central reversal. Courage is not the absence of discomfort. It is the willingness to stand inside discomfort long enough for confidence to grow. Dr. Schroeter moved from Germany to the United States in 1999 and earned her doctorate while studying in her second language. She knows the locked room of self-doubt from the inside. From that experience she built Petite Practice, a simple framework for turning tiny repeated steps into lasting change: simplify the goal, tell someone, examine what happened, and praise the progress. In this conversation, she breaks down why imposter syndrome is really an equation between what you know and how much you believe in what you know. She explains why praise is the step almost everyone skips, and why it is the very mechanism that converts action into belief. Audley brings his own stories to the table, including the long bike ride that taught him exhaustion is real but inability is often invented. This Episode Is for You If... - You feel like a fraud even though the evidence says otherwise - You keep waiting to feel ready before you begin - Your goals feel so big that you stall at the size of them - You want a practical method, not just motivation Guest Bio Dr. Christiane Schroeter is a professor, TEDx speaker, and the author of Petite Practice. In 1999 she moved from Germany to the United States, where she earned her doctorate while studying in her second language, an experience that shaped everything she teaches about courage and confidence. She created the Petite Practice framework, a trademarked system built on four moves: simplify, tell, examine, and praise. Her work helps people stop waiting for confidence to arrive and start building it instead, one small praised step at a time. Guest Links https://doctorchristiane.com Listen on Major Platforms 🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2jVR6V7X2kRiCCDXE0FTyl?si=IR3TsfEWR3WA6BzfBRnVXQ 🍎 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-audacious-living-podcast/id1547447345 📦 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/9f7902bb-dec8-4bd9-918d-d1fef21b7c67/the-audacious-living-podcast?ref=dm_sh_pGv57yQvAmAQVp2IIaXoDwtFt Enjoying the show? Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this. ⭐ Leave a review: 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/audacious

    Praise the Progress: Dr. Christiane Schroeter on Small Steps and Unshakable Confidence

  6. Sep 22

    How to Trust Yourself and Create Real Freedom | Jackie Cote

    What if your life looks successful from the outside, yet something within you knows it no longer fits? Signature Quote “The only person I had to ask permission from was myself.” Why This Quote Matters Jackie Cote’s journey reveals that freedom is not simply about leaving a job, travelling, or controlling your schedule. It begins when you trust yourself enough to acknowledge what you truly want and give yourself permission to pursue it. Episode Description After 30 years in the restaurant industry, Jackie was fired from what would become her final restaurant job. What initially felt like an ending opened the door to coaching, entrepreneurship and a very different understanding of freedom. In this warm and honest conversation, Jackie joins Audley to explore what happens when the life that once made sense no longer feels right. They discuss identity, emotional healing, self-trust and the courage required to move forward before there is evidence that everything will work out. Jackie also shares how RV living unexpectedly became part of her freedom journey, why awareness creates choice and what it means to stop building your life around other people’s expectations. This Episode Is for You If... • Your life looks good, but something still feels incomplete • You are questioning an identity built around your career • You want change but cannot yet see evidence that it will work • You struggle to receive help or release control • You are learning to trust what your inner voice has been telling you Guest Bio Jackie Cote spent 30 years in the restaurant industry, where she naturally mentored people, developed leaders and helped others recognize possibilities they could not yet see for themselves. After losing her final restaurant job in 2018, she began exploring coaching and ultimately committed to building a business around the work she had been doing throughout her career. Her journey has included entrepreneurship, emotional healing, RV living and caring for family members while continuing to operate her business. Today, Jackie helps people awaken to what they want, empower themselves to make aligned choices and own the life they are creating. Guest Links Jackie Cote Coaching: https://jackiecotecoaching.com Listen on Major Platforms 🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2jVR6V7X2kRiCCDXE0FTyl?si=IR3TsfEWR3WA6BzfBRnVXQ 🍎 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-audacious-living-podcast/id1547447345 📦 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/9f7902bb-dec8-4bd9-918d-d1fef21b7c67/the-audacious-living-podcast?ref=dm_sh_pGv57yQvAmAQVp2IIaXoDwtFt Enjoying the show? Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this. ⭐ Leave a review: 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/audacious

    How to Trust Yourself and Create Real Freedom | Jackie Cote

  7. Sep 21

    Beyond Brain Rot: How to Stop Scrolling Your Life Away with Axel Burlin

    How often do you reach for your phone without deciding to? A few minutes of scrolling can feel harmless until you wonder what else you might have done with that time. Signature Quote “Think about what that screen time actually gives you, and what you could do with it instead.” Why This Quote Matters Axel Burlin brings the conversation back to choice. The question is not simply how much time we spend online, but what might become possible if we spent some of it differently. Axel grew up alongside social media, gaming, and the endless feed. In this conversation, he shares the moment he realized his screen habits were shaping his days and why trying harder to resist was not the answer that worked for him. We talk about the pull of algorithmic entertainment, the value we believe it gives us, and something easily lost when every quiet moment is filled: the space to make plans. What could change if you gave yourself that space again? This Episode Is For You If... • You open an app for a minute and stay longer than you intended • You’ve tried to reduce your screen time without lasting success • You miss having quiet moments to think or make plans • You want a more intentional relationship with your phone Guest Bio Axel Burlin is the author of Beyond Brain Rot. Having grown up with phones, video games, and social media woven into everyday life, he writes from personal experience about the struggle to spend less time in algorithmic feeds. His approach asks readers to examine what they believe scrolling gives them. In this conversation, Axel is candid about his own habits and curious about what people can do with the attention they reclaim. Guest Links Website: https://beyondbrainrot.com Listen on Major Platforms 🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2jVR6V7X2kRiCCDXE0FTyl?si=IR3TsfEWR3WA6BzfBRnVXQ 🍎 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-audacious-living-podcast/id1547447345 📦 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/9f7902bb-dec8-4bd9-918d-d1fef21b7c67/the-audacious-living-podcast?ref=dm_sh_pGv57yQvAmAQVp2IIaXoDwtFt Enjoying the show? Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this. ⭐ Leave a review: 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/audacious

    Beyond Brain Rot: How to Stop Scrolling Your Life Away with Axel Burlin

  8. Sep 18

    The Patterns Protecting You May Be the Ones Keeping You Stuck | Krishna Avalon

    What if the very patterns that helped you feel safe are now the ones quietly keeping you from the life you want? Sometimes growth isn't about pushing harder, fixing yourself or becoming someone new. It's about understanding what has been operating beneath the surface and learning how to respond differently. Signature Quote “Awareness is not enough to create change. Insight alone is not enough to create change.” Why This Quote Matters Understanding why you do something can be powerful, but understanding alone doesn't always change the pattern. Real transformation begins when we become willing to work with what is happening beneath our conscious awareness. In this episode of The Audacious Living Podcast, Audley Stephenson sits down with subconscious therapist and breakthrough coach Krishna Avalon for a fascinating conversation about the beliefs, protective patterns and automatic responses that can quietly shape our lives. Krishna explores why high-achieving, self-aware people can still find themselves battling people-pleasing, self-doubt, indecision, inner criticism and the feeling that they should somehow be further ahead. Together, Audley and Krishna examine what happens when patterns that may once have protected us become part of our identity, and why changing them doesn't require rejecting who we've been. The conversation also challenges the idea that audacity must always look big or dramatic. Sometimes the audacious move is setting a boundary without guilt, questioning a belief you've carried for years, listening to what your body is telling you or simply asking yourself: What do I need right now? This Episode Is For You If... • you've done a lot of personal growth work but still feel stuck in familiar patterns • you're successful on the outside but sense something is still missing internally • you struggle with people-pleasing, self-doubt, indecision or an unforgiving inner critic • you're learning to establish boundaries without guilt • you're ready to understand yourself with greater curiosity, compassion and awareness Guest Bio Krishna Avalon is a subconscious therapist, breakthrough coach, PSYCH-K facilitator, Internal Family Systems practitioner and licensed acupuncturist whose work focuses on the subconscious mind and nervous system. With more than two decades of experience, Krishna has worked with thousands of clients and patients navigating stress, self-doubt, self-sabotage, people-pleasing, inner criticism, indecision and other deeply rooted patterns. Her approach brings together subconscious work, Internal Family Systems, somatic practices and her background in acupuncture to help people examine the beliefs and patterns influencing how they experience themselves and their lives. Guest Links 🌐 Website → https://www.krishnaavalon.com 💼 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishnaavalon 📸 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/krishnaavalon/ Listen on Major Platforms 🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2jVR6V7X2kRiCCDXE0FTyl?si=IR3TsfEWR3WA6BzfBRnVXQ 🍎 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-audacious-living-podcast/id1547447345 📦 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/9f7902bb-dec8-4bd9-918d-d1fef21b7c67/the-audacious-living-podcast?ref=dm_sh_pGv57yQvAmAQVp2IIaXoDwtFt Enjoying the show? Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this. ⭐ Leave a review: 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/audacious

    The Patterns Protecting You May Be the Ones Keeping You Stuck | Krishna Avalon
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About

The Audacious Living Podcast🎙unpacks wisdom from guests to help you live your best audacious life ever! #BeAudacious📢

Information

  • Creator
    Audley Stephenson
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    300
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Audley Stephenson
  • Show Website
    The Audacious Living Podcast

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