We pick up where we left off on “just starting,” then put it into practice with our first guest, Erik Milligan—engineer, minister, coach, and new dad, who joins us from Huntsville, Alabama. We talk about identity shifts and why your first career doesn’t have to be your last. Erik shares how growing up with little taught him persistence, why hard things are the only things worth much, and how coaching emerged from years of helping coworkers and congregants with mindset, confidence, perspective, and execution. We lean into the creative struggle: buying the gear, scrapping drafts, avoiding the studio, and mistaking external validation for progress. Erik argues we have to decouple our output from likes and algorithms and anchor to internal validation, doing the work successful us would be doing anyway. We swap stories about “lurkers” who hire after two silent years, proving reach often hides in plain sight. We get tactical about content: test different formats, keep posting, change platforms if needed, and accept that the thing you spent five minutes on may outperform the masterpiece you labored over. Erik offers a simple decision rule: stop dabbling and decide. If you’re a coach (or creator, founder, career-changer), act like one today and for the next six, twelve, twenty-four months regardless of instant payoff. We also talk repurposing....of content and of selves. Skills and seasons change; that doesn’t make former versions of us worthless. Let go of the last monkey bar to reach the next. There’s heart here, too: how we met by chance on a mountaintop overlook, why faith and friendship carried us through family, health, and business challenges, and why consistency is still the punchline. We close with permission to “release the drafts,” serve the people already watching, and keep showing up imperfectly.
Decide > dabble. Identity follows repeated action; commit through the quiet months.
Internal > external validation. Likes lag; impact often arrives silently (then all at once).
Consistency compounds. Thousands of small reps beat a handful of “perfect” posts.
Test & repurpose. Change formats, platforms, and angles; recycle messages for new seasons.
Repurpose yourself. Past roles still matter; let go to move to the next “bar.”
Support systems win. Accountability, mentorship, and (sometimes) paid help unlock momentum.
00:00 – Welcome back & why this episode matters
02:00 – Meet Erik: engineer, minister, coach, new dad
05:10 – Persistence, roots, and doing hard things
09:45 – Consistency on social: posting daily without the dopamine
13:20 – Lurkers hire later: impact without likes
16:10 – Decide vs. dabble: identity by action
18:50 – Algorithms, testing, and changing what isn’t working
22:10 – Shame, starts, and the choice to keep or quit
24:20 – Repurposing skills (and selves) for the next chapter
28:10 – Entrepreneurship triggers: bad bosses, big bets
31:00 – “Release the drafts” challenge & brand evolution
32:40 – Real beats perfect: why people want your messy truth
35:20 – How to work with Erik & closing thoughts
Erik Milligan Coaching – erikmilligancoaching.com
YouTube: Erik Milligan Coaching
LinkedIn: Erik Milligan