Around The Ladder: Leaving “Safe” Work to Tell Bigger Stories with Steven Heumann

In this episode of Around the Ladder, host Erika Steinberg sits down with storyteller and founder of Super Heumann Creative Steven Heumann to unpack what happens when “safe” stops feeling right and comfort starts to feel like a trap. Steven shares how he spent 15 years in television rising from intern to senior producer then realized the growth he wanted would only come if he took a risk on himself. Erika and Steven dig into the idea of “test trial or trap” and how to know whether you are experimenting stretching or simply staying stuck because the familiar feels easier than the unknown. They explore the discomfort of leaving a long held role the messy middle of entrepreneurship and why our expectations about how a risk “should” turn out can be the very thing that keeps us from taking it. If you have ever stayed too long in a role because it was familiar or questioned whether a setback meant you made the wrong move this conversation will help you see your own story differently. You will walk away with a reframed view of failure a deeper understanding of your own “tests” versus “traps” and a reminder that your story is worth telling even before you feel like it is finished. In this episode we talk about How Steven went from “I cannot make money as an artist or writer” to building a storytelling agency of his own. The moment he realized the risk he wanted his company to take would have to come from him instead. The difference between a test a trial and a trap when you are making career moves or life changes. Why comfort can feel good and bad at the same time and how to listen when it starts to feel wrong. What “failing until you succeed” looks like in real time including a lead generation investment that did not go as expected but still transformed his business. How legacy storytelling can help you see the value in your own journey and create deeper connection with others. Connect with Steven Website (storytelling and legacy work): superheumann.com Fiction site and signed paperbacks: stevenheumannauthor.com LinkedIn: Steven Heumann