How to Bounce Back From Rock Bottom (with Steve Gamlin)

Three dollars in his pocket. A driving range. A severe thunderstorm rolling in, real lightning and all. Everyone else ran for cover. Steve Gamlin stayed, hitting bucket after bucket of golf balls, his own plus two abandoned ones, naming every shot after something in his life he was furious about. At one point he held up his club to the sky and said, "I dare you." Nothing happened. He finished the bucket. When he got to his car he could barely lift his arms; when he put his key in the door, the rain stopped and the sun came out. That's rock bottom, motivational-speaker style, and it's exactly where Steve Gamlin was at 35: radio career gone (fired twice when the stations he worked for got sold), marriage over, $62,000 in debt, living at his dad's house. Now in his 18th year as what he calls "the motivational firewood guy," Steve is a stand-up comedian, author, and keynote speaker who built his second act out of that storm. We talk about the phone call the next morning that changed everything, his brand-new life coach's blunt question, "have you ever thought about being a motivational speaker?", the spelling-bee humiliation at 13 that quietly cost him two decades of confidence, and the goofy mirror exercise, writing down one thing you like about yourself every morning, that he still uses with his own clients today. Stick around for how a vision board, and one very specific sentence written down in June of 2007, led him to the woman he'd had a crush on in high school math class... and to sixteen years of marriage since. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htfVPAQ7oC4 In this episode Losing his radio career twice, his marriage, and $62,000 to debt by 35, and what rock bottom actually felt like The severe thunderstorm, a bucket of golf balls, and the moment that became his signature stage story Why a life coach's question, "have you ever thought about being a motivational speaker?", changed everything the very next morning The spelling-bee humiliation at 13 that quietly cost him two decades of confidence The one-week mirror exercise that rebuilds self-talk from scratch (and why "my socks match" counts on day one) How a vision board and one written sentence led him to his wife of 16 years Timestamps (00:01) Welcome and meet Steve Gamlin, "the motivational firewood guy" (02:12) Where "Some Days Your Phoenix Rides a Pogo Stick" comes from (04:14) Losing radio jobs twice, $62,000 in debt, and moving back into his dad's house at 35 (09:43) Hitting golf balls, and two strangers' abandoned buckets, in a severe thunderstorm (11:08) "I dare you": holding up his club to the storm (11:59) The phone call the next morning that changed his life (14:21) "We're not going to be brothers anymore": the friend who ended his self-deprecating act (14:51) The mirror exercise: writing down one thing you like about yourself, every morning (17:35) The spelling-bee humiliation at 13 that cost him his confidence for 20 years (19:12) Volunteering for the morning radio show he'd never actually been on air for (24:01) Discovering The Secret, vision boards, and John Assaraf's three-minute segment (24:01) Writing "I am ready to fall in love," and the email from Tina 10 days later (30:43) The eight-spoke life wheel, and why physical health impacts everything else (34:11) Where to find Steve Gamlin About Steve Gamlin Steve Gamlin is a motivational speaker, stand-up comedian, and author now in his 18th year as what he calls "the motivational firewood guy," sharing a back-to-basics blend of positivity and humor with corporate and conference audiences around the country. After losing his radio career, his first marriage, and his financial stability at 35, he rebuilt his life around vision boards and what he calls his eight-spoke "life wheel." Learn more at SteveGamlin.com. Favorite quotes "I dare you." —Steve Gamlin, holding up his golf club to a thunderstorm "You're better than that. And if you don't build yourself up, or at least acknowledge yourself and respect yourself in the mirror, how the hell can you expect anyone else to? You can't." —Steve Gamlin "I am ready to fall in love." —Steve Gamlin, written down in the first week of June 2007 Resources mentioned SteveGamlin.com The Secret: the film that introduced Steve to vision boards, watched nine Sunday nights in a row John Assaraf's vision board segment in The Secret, the specific part that stuck with him Related episodes Change Is Possible! Dai Manuel and the Five F's: another guest from this same season rebuilding a life around resilience and a values-based framework. From Suicide Plans to 20 Years as Tony Robbins' Firewalk Captain (Dave Albin): another rock-bottom-to-motivational-speaker journey, for anyone who needed two of these back to back. Subscribe & connect If this episode gave you something to sit with, follow Phoenix and Flame so you never miss an episode: all apps in one place, or jump straight to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube. And if it moved you, leave a review; it's the easiest way to help another listener find the show. Learn more about Phoenix and Flame, connect with Dana, and listen to more episodes here. Curious where your own boundaries stand? Take my free Work Boundaries Quiz: danaskaggs.com/quiz