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The Stupid Gap

by Ryan Gray

The Stupid Gap is the space between who you are and who you need to become in order to build a life that you don't want to escape. I've dedicated my life to the endless pursuit of personal growth, which means, I LIVE in that gap! The guests on this show have all undergone some sort of personal transformation and explored their own version of the stupid gap. I hope this show finds you in whatever stupid gap you're facing in life, and that your journey through it is made easier.

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Episodes

  1. Solo Founder Burnout and the Trap You Build Yourself | Tucker Smylie

    Solo founder burnout is the subject of this conversation with Tucker Smylie, founder of Smylie Coffee Catering in Austin. Tucker spent most of his twenties feeling trapped — by the small town he grew up in, by the career path he was supposed to want, by ventures that collapsed. He now runs a…

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  2. Stop Avoiding Your Emotions | Gunther Klaus

    Emotional avoidance can hide behind discipline, productivity, even fitness — and HYROX athlete and coach Gunther Klaus spent years using the gym to escape the discomfort he couldn't out-train. We get into where real confidence comes from, the mentor who told him he had no tolerance for sitting in...

  3. He Spent Years Being Disciplined at the Wrong Thing | CJ Finley

    Delayed gratification might be quietly wasting your life — CJ Finley explains why discipline only pays off when it's aimed at the right goal. A world-class delayed gratifier who spent five years pointed the wrong way, CJ breaks down how to know when you're on the wrong path, why your work should...

  4. Finding Your Own Path When the Tracks Disappear | Solo Episode

    Finding your own path means walking away from the one someone else laid out for you — even when that path looks perfect on paper. This is a solo reflection on my conversation with Jack Lesser, and the line of his that's lived in my head ever since: the opportunity is coming, and when it gets…

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  5. Breathwork Broke Him Open: Burnout, Focus, and Letting Go | Jack Lesser

    Breathwork pulled Jack Lesser out of burnout and into a life he barely recognized — and this conversation is the whole arc of how it happened. Jack walked away from a "golden handcuffs" corporate job, got dragged to the floor by his first breathwork session, and went to a 5-day retreat in Costa...

  6. How to Build Real Agency in Your Life | Solo Episode

    How do you build real agency in your life? This is what Marcus Fein's story taught me about courage, fear, and starting over. This is a solo reflection on what stuck with me after sitting down with Marcus Fein — a man who spent 22 years in addiction and found the courage to start over. His story...

  7. Life After Sobriety: Relearning Everything at 40 | Marcus Fein

    Life after sobriety means relearning everything — what you like, how to connect, who you actually are. Marcus Fein got sober in his late 30s after 22 years of drinking and using, and discovered that quitting was only step one. In this conversation, he shares how childhood trauma he didn't…

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  8. What a HYROX Pro Athlete Taught Me About Relationships, Pain, and Quitting Excuses

    I sat down with HYROX Pro Robin Perségol. This solo episode is me unpacking three things that hit hardest — about relationships, athletic standards, and what happens when you stop running from your pain. Robin is someone who performs at an elite level across multiple arenas — pro sports…

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  9. Pro HYROX Athlete Robin Perségol | You Are What You Think About — Rebuilding Identity and Purpose

    Robin Perségol thought he was one of the good ones. A failed marriage forced him to look in the mirror and shook him to his core. This conversation goes well beyond sport. Robin is a HYROX pro athlete with multiple Sub-60 finishes and a top-20 finish at the Pro World Championships. But that's not...

  10. How a Pro Golfer Stopped Fearing Failure and Started Chasing It | JP Cleveland | The Stupid Gap

    JP Cleveland turned pro in 2023 and has been grinding the mini-tour circuit ever since — building his game one tournament at a time. But the most important work JP has done hasn't happened on the golf course. In this episode, JP opens up about the voice in his head that told him he wasn't enough…

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  11. How Leaning Into Pain Can Change Your Life | Yash Chitneni

    Yash Chitneni grew up between two worlds — an Eastern household built on sacrifice and survival, and a Western culture that rewards individualism and risk. The tension between those two worlds shaped nearly every major decision of his life, and for a long time, it kept him stuck. In this episode…

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  12. What Fear Actually Sounds Like in Your Head

    Seth spent six years too scared to touch the thing he actually wanted. Here's what fear was really telling him — and why none of it was true. Full conversation with DJ Father Glass on the channel. I Offer Personal Skills & Mindset Coaching: https://thatryangray.com/ Connect with me on Socials:...

  13. The Night He Finally Chose to Live

    A night that ended with him held hostage over money he owed. A fridge full of beer he poured down the drain. This is the moment Seth stopped negotiating with alcohol and chose to live. Full conversation with DJ Father Glass on the channel. I Offer Personal Skills & Mindset Coaching:...

  14. What Nobody Tells You About Getting Sober at 32 | DJ & Producer Seth Glass

    Getting sober was supposed to be the hard part. For Seth, the real work started the day after he put the drink down. Seth — known around Austin as DJ Father Glass — spent six years too afraid to chase the one thing he actually wanted. When he finally started DJing, the same fear followed him into...

  15. How Solo Travel and Silence Rebuilt Her Identity

    Most people wait for the perfect moment to make a big change. Alexandra Schoenborn didn't. At 21, she packed up and moved to Italy alone — no plan, barely any Italian, and no guarantee it would work out. What followed was three and a half years of immersion, self-discovery, and eventually, a path...

  16. Dominant Without Controlling: What Real Masculinity Looks Like

    Protection and dominance aren't the same thing — but they're not unrelated either. In this clip, Ryan Gray breaks down how a man can be a protector without becoming controlling, and why building a space where someone can fully be themselves might be the most mature expression of masculinity there...

  17. Lead by Example: Creating Safe Spaces for Men

    What does healthy masculinity actually look like? It starts with being willing to go first — opening the door so others feel safe enough to walk through it. This clip from The Stupid Gap gets into the real cost of men not talking, and what it means to be a genuine safe space for the people around...

  18. The Power of Vulnerability in Masculinity with Firefigher Connor McComas

    In this episode of the Stupid Gap Podcast, we explore themes of personal growth, self-awareness, and the importance of connection among men. We discuss the challenges of small talk, overcoming fear of rejection, and the significance of compliments in fostering positive relationships. Our...

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

The Stupid Gap is the space between who you are and who you need to become in order to build a life that you don't want to escape.

I've dedicated my life to the endless pursuit of personal growth, which means, I LIVE in that gap!

The guests on this show have all undergone some sort of personal transformation and explored their own version of the stupid gap.

I hope this show finds you in whatever stupid gap you're facing in life, and that your journey through it is made easier.

HOSTED BY

Ryan Gray

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does The Stupid Gap have?

The Stupid Gap currently has 18 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is The Stupid Gap about?

The Stupid Gap is the space between who you are and who you need to become in order to build a life that you don't want to escape. I've dedicated my life to the endless pursuit of personal growth, which means, I LIVE in that gap! The guests on this show have all undergone some sort of personal...

How often does The Stupid Gap release new episodes?

The Stupid Gap has 18 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to The Stupid Gap?

You can listen to The Stupid Gap on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts The Stupid Gap?

The Stupid Gap is created and hosted by Ryan Gray.
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