Rise From The Ashes
"Burnout to Brilliance: Great CEOs, No Burnout"
Leadership is tough. Burnout makes it tougher.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Rise From The Ashes is the ultimate podcast for visionary CEOs and executives who refuse to let burnout rob them of their brilliance, legacy, and impact.
Hosted by Baz Porter, this show isn’t just about surviving leadership it’s about transforming it. Each week, we delve deep into the art and science of thriving at the top, combining actionable strategies, spiritual alignment, and raw truths that reignite your purpose and optimize your energy.
Here’s what you’ll get:
- Bold Frameworks: Learn the exact steps to conquer decision fatigue, streamline your mental energy, and reclaim control of your leadership.
- Spiritual Awakenings: Explore the intersection of purpose, alignment, and success to lead with clarity and connection.
- Transformational Insights: Hear unfiltered stories and practical wisdom from world-class leaders who’ve turned their burnout into brilliance.
This isn’t just a podcast it’s a revolution for leaders ready to rise, inspire, and leave a legacy that outlasts them.
Rise From The Ashes
He made Sir Paul McCartney cry, but couldn't reach his dying wife
When you're responsible for leading others, personal grief becomes a performance you can't escape. Radio legend Royce Blake spent 30 years getting celebrities to reveal their deepest truths - he made Paul McCartney cry on air. But when his brilliant wife Lisa was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, his greatest communication skills meant nothing.
Watch a woman who ran a law office with three lawyers deteriorate until she didn't know what a doorknob was for. Experience the crushing weight of "putting on the happy face" every day because, as Royce learned, "nobody cares" - everyone only asks "what's in it for me?"
Discover how surviving this devastating loss taught him the difference between performing authenticity and living it. In our AI-dominated world, Royce reveals why "the pendulum is swinging back to real" - and how your greatest pain might be your most powerful leadership tool.
Timestamps:
[05:30] The Alzheimer's diagnosis that changed everything
[12:45] "What's a doorknob for?" - watching brilliance disappear
[18:20] The cruel reality of grieving while leading
[25:10] Why "nobody cares" became his greatest lesson
[31:40] How authentic leadership emerges from authentic pain
If You’ve Been Hooked on These Episodes… This Is for You
If this podcast has been landing deep… if each story feels like it’s peeling back something raw and real in you… then don’t ignore that.
Every guest you’ve heard made the same decision: to stop performing and start healing.
Now it’s your turn.
Take the Silent Collapse Diagnostic. It’s not a quiz. It’s a wake-up tool for women who are done pretending they’re fine.
No fluff. No journaling prompts. Just a straight-up mirror into where you’re silently collapsing behind the mask of success.
If you're serious about reclaiming your energy, your clarity, your life start there.
Because breakthrough doesn’t begin with doing more. It begins with finally seeing what’s been stealing your power.
Learn more about Baz Porter at www.bazporter.com
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to part two from Royce from the Ashes. I'm here with Royce Blake. In our first part of the episode, we spoke about not just his expertise but his passion for helping other people and really coming alive with real life advice. We also spoke about the trials and tribulations of traveling a lot and the loss of his dear wife. But he's here today. He's back, and this is where we start to get into the weeds of what really makes him tick, what really goes behind the scenes and what's his passions these days and what he's got coming up. So, Royce, thank you for sharing last time and it is a privilege to have you here once again.
Speaker 2:It's been awesome, baz, it's fun.
Speaker 1:I love doing these interviews because it's you that makes a show, it's you that keeps it alive. What is the one thing that really you want the audience to take away with? If they were coming to you as a client? What's the one thing that could come to you with the most? What's the question that come with you the most?
Speaker 2:That's one of my first questions is what would you like to see happen? Because, especially dealing in the copywriting world or the marketing world in general, I'll get a call from somebody that says I need to run Facebook ads and I say, really, how come Bob at the tire store down the street runs them and they're doing great. And then all of a sudden we get into exactly what they do and what they're trying to accomplish, who they're trying to serve. Because how you attack, getting customers who pay you more money more often is a science. Marketing is both an art and a science. Anytime a marketer says this is guaranteed to work, then run the other way, because in marketing you never know, especially these days, what is going to take off. And if I can just go on a little sidetrack here, in these days of AI, boy have things changed. Not just let's take YouTube videos. Who would have thought ocean spray, cranberry juice you remember this from gosh? Probably five years ago now, it was the guy riding down the skateboard Fleetwood Mac's dreams in the back. He was just drinking ocean spray. That boosted their sales by almost 40%. Now, at the same time, they were working on another campaign, a TV campaign that cost them $20 million and that increased sales by 2%. Gosh, all it takes is one viral video.
Speaker 2:Now, the way the algorithms have changed is it used to be right. You had to have 50,000 followers before your posts or your videos or whatever would be seen. They went by audience size, not anymore. Ai looks at everything you do, including emails, and decides where to put it. Just on an email side, it used to be like no, you couldn't put free or sale in the subject line. It would automatically go to spam. Not anymore, because the AI actually reads the entire email before they decide where to put it. So it's the same with almost every avenue of marketing, and the AIs are just getting better and faster. So your message is more important than ever. And once again, we get back to real. Be as real as you possibly can. People are everybody's seen the jargon words. Ai is getting better, but we've also learned over the last year of anytime. You see empower or synergy, as it was another good one for AI that you could tell it was probably written by a computer.
Speaker 2:I always try to tell people to market like you're at a barbecue. You're talking with a friend at a barbecue, and the other concept is you're not talking to an audience. You're talking to a parade. People are coming and going. Some stay longer, some just wanted to see the band and stick around, others want a churro and they want to move on. That's people today. And the other thing that a lot of people are afraid of is attention spans. Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. It's really not true. Otherwise Joe Rogan wouldn't be the number one podcaster when his guests stick around for three hours straight.
Speaker 2:So it's really about what you're saying and how you're saying it that really matters. So it's content, it's your message and, once again, it always gets back to what's in it for me. If you can answer that question what's in it for me then people are going to stick around. And, yes, touch points have gone up. In other words, how many times you see an ad. It used to be seven. The latest study I saw just last week says it's around 21. Now, because we're bombarded with so many, it takes 21 times. That could just be just seeing their name. That counts as a touch point. It's not like you actually have to read everything that's put out, but we're in strange times, baz, so welcome.
Speaker 1:The statistics you just quoted are, at the time of the recording, correct. It's 21 to click on the link and it's around 36 to 35 before they actually purchase or book a call with you. It's just crazy. But everything you just said there is completely true. And the attention span of people yes, they're dissipating to a certain extent if they get bored. And there's so much. Going back to our previous episode, with what you said about bombarding of information, how did you stand out? You've made a very successful career out of radio, so you're like the authority or expert in this industry of keeping people engaged. What are the hallmarks with doing that? Because that's an art well, it depends.
Speaker 2:Gotta remember I was. I did some news 90% of the time. I was on music stations, so obviously the music drove the ratings. But especially in morning shows, you have to be entertaining and it's the same. This is a great analogy to podcasting.
Speaker 2:Radio and podcasting are massively solitary experiences. People are listening by themselves, they're driving, they're doing dishes, they're mowing the lawn, working on the car, whatever, and they have you in their ears just to keep them entertained. So it's important to remember you're talking to one person. I always yell at podcasters when they talk about hey folks, or welcome everybody. You're not talking to an audience, you're talking to you, and I hammer that in all of my courses and things like that is you should become your favorite word. You should talk to one person. Same with marketing, because if they're reading an email or reading an ad somewhere, they're doing it by themselves, nobody's looking over your shoulder as you read it. Together, make sure it's very personal. But at the same time, since we only have a short amount of time maybe five minutes at max for, let's say, a bit in between songs or whatever that's got to be packed, so we made them as silly, depending on the station. Of course Some were much crazier than other stations, but it's recent. I just wrote about this recently and that's why it came to mind.
Speaker 2:We came into the radio studio one day and found a phone book for Tokyo, japan, just at random. It was left there, I don't know why, and we came up with this idea hey, why don't we call random people in Tokyo and see how long we can keep them on the phone once we say the word Godzilla? Because we knew, right, they'd heard Godzilla their whole lives, right, and they're probably sick of it. And here are these guys I knew a little Japanese from my martial arts training just random Americans calling Japan, and we would just keep them on the phone, and then listeners would win a prize by the listener who guessed the closest to the exact time before they hung up. And it was great radio. Because here's this Japanese guy that nobody can understand. We're asking him questions like hey, pineapple and pizza, what are your thoughts? But that's just silly, stupid stuff. And we did a lot. I can't even remember half the things we did, a lot of which would not fly today, by the way, Definitely politically incorrect, yeah.
Speaker 1:But that reminds me of the skits from Monty Python. That sort of era, that comedy, that mentality isn't around today because it's politically incorrect, but back in the day that's what the older Gen X and above baby boomers we thrived on, because it was different, it was outlandish, it wasn't the normal mainstream BS that you get today.
Speaker 2:And we survived, not having seatbelts and riding in the back of pickup trucks and drinking water out of garden hoses.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're speaking my language now. What have you got going on right now? What's the forefront of your business, what do you want to help people with and what do you do? What's your thing to really deliver your expertise?
Speaker 2:Thanks for that, paz. I'm pivoting in a way. I still do a lot of marketing, but at the same time, I've taken my 30 plus years on radio and realized that one of the skills podcasters seem to neglect is interviewing people. And if you think about especially if your podcast is based on guests, it's something where you need to leave your ego at the door and work on getting better at. And so I talk to and teach people how to boost their interviewing skills. I've got an ebook out called how to Keep an Audience Interviewing Skills from 30 Years of a Radio Pro and I also have a free five-day email course as well and it talks about how to get a guest to shut up, and we've all had people that have turned a sentence into a paragraph, right, and, on the one hand, if it's entertaining, absolutely let them go.
Speaker 2:Another problem I see with podcasters is they're so worried about asking the next question they don't realize their guest just spun some gold right there and they should let them continue. Others have a problem opening up, so how do you get people to open up more? How do you change the subject? Things like that, and once again realizing that you're talking to one person it should be an eavesdropping situation where you're interested in something these two or five people are saying, and I've interviewed over 200 celebrities, from Bruce Springsteen to Billy Joel to Paul McCartney, to some very unknown. I hate to call them unknown because they're obviously qualified actors and actresses but, like Bob Barker of the Price is Right, loved me to the point where he gave me his home phone number because I asked him questions that no one had ever heard before.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's what I love, that concept, and what you're doing now is actually passing that knowledge on to other people, that it isn't out. It is out there, but you've put it in a condensed way, but it's real life, blood, sweat worked for and that's.
Speaker 2:That's priceless in my opinion, number one is research, and I see so many people fall down. Research everything you can about a guest. Doesn't matter if they own the tire store down the street. Go check out their advertising, see if they have a facebook business page or whatever. Dig deep and find out something. Once again, you're looking for a question they've never been asked and I bet you, nine times out of 10, they have a weird hobby or something that'll just flip people's brains around. And that's when you become memorable, because, even though it was the guest saying memorable because, even though it was the guest saying, though, he collected the cockroaches. They'll remember you because you had that guy on. And it's also great if they have been on podcasts or if they have their own podcasts. Watch some episodes, see if they're. Are they a used car salesman talking fast and go like this? Or you you know, are they laid back and tell me about this? That'll be important to your interviewing skills as well as what you can expect, and I had every range.
Speaker 2:Best interview I shouldn't say best interview, but easiest interview ever was the late boxing promoter, don King. I don't know if you remember Don King. He had that giant, giant Afro going up about three feet. Yes, here's how I interviewed Don. Hey Don, how are you? And then you can go and get a cup of coffee or whatever, because he could talk without breathing for five minutes straight. It was amazing. And other people you got to remember, especially celebrities. They're used to being a character, they're used to being someone else, and so when you're with them it's a lot harder. You'd be amazed how many of these famous actors answer with one or two words oh, yeah, yeah. No, that was fun, that's it. Excuse me, mr cruz, I'd like to find out how you hang hung on to that airplane upside down.
Speaker 1:It's great, by the way, not a problem whatsoever but this is invaluable advice for people who are they wanted to start a podcast, wanting to do work in any sort of media, because what you're speaking into now is the foundation of any business, whether whether it be a corporate business or Fortune 500, to a very small country town business. You're getting to know the people that you're serving and that's right.
Speaker 2:And it's the same for boardroom meetings. People are wondering what's in it for me. Do I have to be here? Why are you wasting my time with this? And it's so important. Once again and you can relate this really to even radio and podcasting A great leader always speaks last.
Speaker 2:Let them explain what's going on, hear their problems first, or, if it's entertainment, let them go off on. I knew that if they were on my radio show, they were there to promote a book or promote a movie or whatever. So you have to let them go. That's their job. That's the only reason they're giving you their time. In most cases, others just like us because we were crazy. That was part of the deal. But yeah, you got to get input, not only to understand the problem but to understand their cadence, their personality. Are these people defensive? Are they extroverts? Which one? And it's always good to jive and get on the same page. You're going to talk to somebody totally differently. I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:I'm just thinking of radio affectation, because that used to be recording yourself on your phone, watching yourself. No one else has to ever see it, but record yourself doing the dishes, reading off a laundry list, whatever it is, even if it's for a couple of minutes and then watch it back and pretty soon you'll get used to your voice. You'll get used to your looks and how you act and things like that. But remember the first time you heard your recorded voice. Everybody does, right? Wow, I sound like that Because the bones in our ears change the way we hear our voice. Now I've gotten used to it because on the radio you wear headphones and you're hearing how your voice sounds instantly. And here's what happens in radio for most people and maybe for podcasters too Voice affectation, right. So you put the headphones on and you hear your voice for the first time and you're like, wow, that sounds good. And then you get lower because, hey, this sounds even better. And then you get lower because, hey, this sounds even better. And pretty soon you're talking like this. And then we get to what in the radio we call puking, which is hi there, how you doing everybody, I'm so glad you're with us. That's voice affectation. So, once again, use yourself and realize you don't need that and I recommend I know it looks cool to have the mic boom in front of you and wearing headphones and all that.
Speaker 2:I always laugh at people because they're like, hey, have you ever thought about starting a podcast? I'm like I gotta laugh Really. Could I feel like I'm on the air and they're like, yeah, but just be real Once again. Be real, because that's what people want. They don't want AI, they want real people with real opinions, real questions, and don't ever be afraid to ask. Here's another big thing on podcasters don't get. If they're not understanding something, they'll move on. So they don't look stupid. Hey, if you're not getting it, odds are your listeners aren't either. So stop and say gosh, I didn't quite understand. Can you expound on that? Because I'm not sure I understand what that is and so many people are afraid to do that you know what that is and so many people are afraid to do that.
Speaker 1:That's huge for anybody who is not of the savvy mind of how to present themselves or how to listen. I remember doing this when I first started this podcast a year or so ago I don't even know now but I was always afraid. But to your point, royce, I was always afraid of what people think of me. Now I just don't care and I'm just like whatever.
Speaker 2:Just answer the request line for a while and you'll get over it, yeah.
Speaker 1:It's great advice. If people want to get hold of you, get your email sequence, get hold of you and have a conversation. Where do they go?
Speaker 2:It's easy. I hope it's voiceofroycecom. So just go to voiceofroycecom and there's a lot of free stuff on there. And I do have a newsletter every week which I try to include. I usually include a lesson on podcasting, I have a behind-the-mic radio story and we even throw in some great quotes and cartoons, so that's a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:I mean that's great. I think that I'm certainly going to sign up in a few minutes for that as well. Is there anything else you would love to give the audience or tell the audience before we depart today?
Speaker 2:I would just say that podcasting, especially, as we know, is exploding right now and it will for a long time. On the one hand, it's great that so many celebrities are starting their own podcast because they realize how easy it is. It's also tougher, right, because who's you're going to listen to Conan O'Brien? Or are you going to listen to Joe Schmo? That has 800 listeners? Guess what. We all start somewhere. We all start little, and repetition it's my favorite quote from Tony Robbins. Repetition is the mother of skill. It's going to take you some time. Don't worry about what. Don't focus on results. Focus on getting better, and people are going to find you, trust me, and the better you get, the more they'll refer you. They'll start telling their friends and test.
Speaker 2:I love testing, especially in marketing. If somebody tells you they have something they know will work, I just laugh because it's marketing. You never know you. They have something they know will work, I just laugh because it's marketing. You never know what's going to work. So test it and don't be worried about failing. Fail fast, fail as fast as you can, and it really depends on your subject, your topic, but test it out. If it's not working, change, change topics, change titles, whatever it takes, and test that, and pretty soon you'll find something that works, and that's when you go all in. So that would be my number one thing when it comes to both marketing and growing a podcast. You have to try stuff. That's it. I love that advice and it's completely true.
Speaker 1:You have to try stuff. That's it. I love that advice and it's completely true From my own journey and testing, trying, failing fast, falling a lot, a hell of a lot. It's about resilience and it builds that muscle. I was a platinum partner and I know Tony in that world very well. He's not my best friend, don't worry, but I know the industry very well and he is correct. Royce, I want to really thank you for your knowledge, your time, your energy and your love and compassion for what you do. I appreciate that, baz.
Speaker 2:And before we go, here's a little sign I have right above my desk and I think people can use this. It helps get rid of imposter syndrome and it simply says hey, you've screwed up way bigger things than this. And I see that every time I sit down at the computer and it reminds me just to slap stuff up, man, and see what happens.
Speaker 1:I think that's great advice. I'm going to have to get something like that on mine. I've got a few bits and pieces, but I want to get something like that on mine. I've got a few bits and pieces, but I want to get something like that on mine. Thank you very much for your love and your advice here. Royce for my listeners thank you for listening.
Speaker 1:You make this possible and you make this channel go wherever it's meant to go. If this resonated with you, please share it with a friend. Share it with somebody that's going to need the knowledge and will be inspired by this. From myself. I'm Baz. Thank you very much, royce, for joining me today. Much love, thanks so much From myself. You have an amazing day on purpose and I'll see you all next time on the Rise From the Ashes podcast. Have a great day.
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