The Power of Resilient Leadership & Adjusting Your AiM
with J. Scot Heathman
If you're tasked with leading, influencing, or inspiring others, strap in because you're about to embark on a transformative journey with today’s guest, J. Scot Heathman, a former Air Force commander and pilot with a remarkable tale of resilience, leadership, and personal evolution.
Dive deep into the life experiences and insights of Scot Heathman, who not only shares his vast leadership wisdom gleaned from managing a team of 14,000 in the Air Force but also his journey through personal adversities that have shaped his unique approach to leadership.
Scot is also a graduate of Spark the Stage, Aleya's speaker training program that helps Entrepreneurs and Executives become professional speakers who can deliver a signature talk from the stage. To learn more about Spark the Stage visit https://www.aleyaharris.com/spark.
Key Takeaways:
Resilience in Leadership: Scot’s story underscores the essential nature of resilience in leadership. From overcoming the physical requirement to become a pilot to navigating severe health challenges, his journey highlights how to confront and maneuver through personal and professional trials effectively.
The Power of Vulnerability: Learn from Scot’s experience with a serious health scare that leadership involves not just strength but also vulnerability. Sharing one’s challenges openly can transform organizational culture and deepen team relationships, setting a stage for mutual support and understanding.
Emotional Intelligence: Scot emphasizes the critical role of emotional intelligence in leadership. He discusses practical ways to enhance self-awareness and manage emotions, which are pivotal in leading effectively and fostering a positive work environment.
Episode Highlights:
[00:03:16] Scot Heathman's introduction and background: From dreams of flying to impactful leadership roles.
[00:15:00] A pivotal story of persistence: Scot’s journey to becoming a pilot despite initial disqualifications and the life lessons it taught him.
[00:48:03] Overcoming adversity: Scot shares his experience with a brain tumor, the challenges of recovery, and how it affected his leadership style.
[01:16:23] Emotional intelligence in leadership: How understanding and managing your emotions can lead to better leadership outcomes.
About J. Scot Heathman
J. Scot Heathman’s life is marked by a desire to shoot for the skies. Throughout his career, Scot learned the importance of relatability and resiliency, and became a respected servant leader. In 2019, however, that resiliency would be tested beyond anything he had ever experienced. He was in a car accident and after an MRI of his head, doctors discovered that he had a brain tumor. This experience taught him how impactful his own lessons could be in inspiring others, and prompted a unique opportunity to elevate others.
Today, Scot inspires CEO’s to front-line leaders to ‘command with courage’ so they can lead more effectively, drive a culture of innovation, and build a bigger bottom line. His Commander Level coaching programs inspire his clients to lead with relatability and respect, and embrace their vulnerability for positive change. Scot has Master's degrees in Organizational Leadership, Operational Planning & Strategy, and National Security & Strategic Studies, and is certified in Emotional Intelligence, designed to take leadership performance to the highest altitudes. He’s also the author of the upcoming book “Command With Courage” about resilience and elevating beyond adversity.
Connect with J. Scot Heathman
Website: http://ElevatingOthersLLC.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jscotheathman/
About Aleya Harris
Aleya Harris is the spark for your spark™. A trailblazer in purpose-driven story crafting, she is a former marketing executive and ex-Google Vendor Partner who brings her dynamic experience to her role as the CEO of The Evolution Collective Inc. Aleya is a StoryBrand Certified Guide, international award-winning speaker, and the host of the award-winning Flourishing Entrepreneur Podcast. Her unique approach as a Strategic Storytelling Consultant has revolutionized the way businesses communicate, transforming workplace cultures and market positioning. With her dynamic energy and proven methodologies, she guides clients to unlock their potential, articulate their radically authentic stories, and achieve unparalleled success.
Sign Up for a Free Workshop
Each month, Aleya hosts a free 90-minute, hands-on workshop to help you use the power of radically authentic strategic storytelling to improve your personal growth, career, and company.
Register at https://www.aleyaharris.com/workshop
Book Aleya to Speak
To book Aleya to edutain your audience at your next event as a keynote speaker, please visit www.aleyaharris.com/speaking to check out her speaking topics, reels, and why. Click "Schedule a Call" to secure the speaker with "that something new" you've been looking for.
If you are a Corporate Event Planner, Employee Experience Professional, Head of Marketing, Learning & Development Professional, Executive Assistant, Speakers Bureau Destination Management Company, or Destination Management Organization who is looking for a top-quality, energetic speaker, you should definitely hop on a call with Aleya.
Connect with Aleya Harris
Speaking & Media: https://www.aleyaharris.com
The Evolution Collective Inc.: https://www.evolutioncollective.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleyaharris/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleyaharris/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thealeyaharris
Links Mentioned on this Podcast
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Aleya Harris [00:00:01]:
Storytelling is an incredibly powerful tool to not only uplift yourself, but uplift others in the process. On this episode, we dive into the medium of film in being an awesome way to tell stories. With Maxwell Frost Maxwell Frost is the owner of Brand Film School and is an award winning filmmaker who specializes in generating lifetime repeat customers through brand films. Over the last decade, he's collaborated with all kinds of big names like Vans and Hydra Flask and Patagonia, and has earned over 20 plus awards in eleven countries for films he has directed, produced, and edited. He likes to say that what he offers is very simple, and it is very simple. He says. I teach people how to make three to 15 minutes brand films start to finish. That will grow your reach, fill your content calendar, and drive revenue.
Aleya Harris [00:01:01]:
Well, bada bing, bada boom. That sounds awesome to me. And in this episode, he's teaching us not only how to do that, but sharing some amazing stories about how he got on his journey and how you can get to an even better place on your journey. This episode is amazing for you if you want to learn how to tell a better story. All right, let's go.
Yuliya Patsay [00:01:28]:
Welcome to the Flourishing Entrepreneur podcast with Aleah Harris. If you're looking for actionable ways to overcome communication and differentiation challenges by sharing radically authentic stories, you are in the right place. Listen in and learn how to stand in the power of your unique narrative to transform your personal life, business and workplace culture. And now, your host, award winning international speaker, strategic storytelling consultant, and japanese whiskey lover, Ruby Coral's mom, Alayah Harris.
Aleya Harris [00:02:17]:
Maxwell, thank you for joining us here today on the flourishing Entrepreneur podcast. How you doing?
Maxwell Frost [00:02:23]:
I'm doing good. Yeah. Thanks for having me on. I'm very excited about this conversation.
Aleya Harris [00:02:28]:
I'm excited, too. I always love talking to other storytellers, people not only about storytelling, but their own stories. So this is going to be great, especially because I mostly focus in using my voice from stage or written storytelling. And you have a whole awesome visual component that you bring in with storytelling as well, which I know a lot of people are curious about. And by a lot of people, I especially mean me. So it's going to be great to have this conversation with you. But before we dive into all of the nitty gritty, juicy details of our conversation, why don't we start off with a very simple question in about two to three sentences? Why don't you tell the people who you are and what you do?
Maxwell Frost [00:03:14]:
Yeah. My name is Maxwell Frost and I help brands make compelling short films that drive growth because films can connect on an emotional level through shared interests, experiences, and desires. In a way, really nothing else can.
Aleya Harris [00:03:30]:
I really love that. And thank you for adhering to the two to three sentence limit. As you know, we were talking about before we started recording, I'm a storybrand certified guide, and Donald Miller has said that you buy with the problem that's in your head, but you. I'm sorry, I'm saying it wrong. I'm saying it wrong. I'm saying sorry, don. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Aleya Harris [00:03:51]:
Let me start again. You shop with the story that's in your head, the problem that's in the head, that you understand, but you buy with what happens in your heart, emotions, that you connect to that problem and solving that problem. So when you were talking about how you help people build those emotional connections through film, that totally resonates with me and what I believe and understand as a storyteller. How does film do that above other mediums?
Maxwell Frost [00:04:21]:
So you talked about using your voice. I like telling stories from stage as well. I love visual storytelling, like with graphic design and painting. And I love, my favorite part about film is that it brings all these different types of storytelling into one space, which I believe it makes it one of the most dynamic, if not the most dynamic form of storytelling, because you have these sound effects, you have this music that tells people how to feel about what they're seeing. You have these visuals, you have all these different things going on at the same time. So you can communicate in a way that's really powerful and connects in that emotional way, because you're hitting people in all these different ways. You talked about Donald Miller. He talks about people having these different emotional challenges.
Maxwell Frost [00:05:05]:
They overcome these physical and these philosophical challenges. And how he uses it with marketing is the same way that films have been doing it since the beginning of time, is positioning these heroes of these stories, these unlikely characters that interact with these guides to help them step into the preferred future. By overcoming these challenges they have and by overcoming these emotional, physical, and philosophical challenges, it helps your audience really step into the story and be a part of the story. And they see themselves in this main character. And you can really position your brand as helping not only this main character in the film, but your customers step into their preferred future as well. And it's this really cool emotional journey that you take them on through cinema.
Aleya Harris [00:05:53]:
That was so good. Dear listener, thank you. Like, really wanted to capture the heart of storytelling. Pause now. Rewind. Re listen to what Maxwell just said, and then let us now continue. That was amazing. I really really liked how you articulated that, because that is the heart of what storytelling does.
Aleya Harris [00:06:14]:
It builds connection. I like to think of, you have your story, Maxwell. I have my story. The listener has their stories. But where we find those points of intersection, that's where we connect. And then we find maybe another point of intersection, and then another point of intersection, and all of a sudden, oh, my God, we're marketing. Because for me, marketing is the art and science of building lucrative relationships. And those relationships get built when you weave stories together.
Aleya Harris [00:06:43]:
And the lucrative part happens when you become an inextricable part of someone else's story. They can't see how they can go forward in their story without you in it. So then they usually have to pay you in this context to keep that whole thing going. We have to buy your course. We have to sign up for you to do it for us, because we understand the power of film, for example, to help us grow our brands, grow our business, grow our online presence. I'm just saying, these are all reasons why you can and should book Maxwell Frost.
Maxwell Frost [00:07:19]:
Appreciate that plug, right?
Aleya Harris [00:07:21]:
Just a free, free plug there. So I want to then kind of lean in now to one of those stories that might help people understand how they can intersect with you and your story. Can you tell us about a pivotal story, a pivotal moment in your life, and how it shaped you?
Maxwell Frost [00:07:43]:
Yeah, absolutely. It was some years back, I had a rough patch in life. I was married, and our twin girls were stillborn. And then not long after that, my wife at the time had lost all hope in our marriage. So I was in this very pivotal moment in life where it was really hard to tell which way was up. And I felt like I needed to do something equally impactful in my life to kind of move on to that next season to get unstuck. And for me, that was a two month bicycle trip in the himalayas. And I just wanted to.
Maxwell Frost [00:08:16]:
I just had to get in a new space, physically, emotionally, mentally, to try to move forward. And I ended up turning that trip into a film, which was really my entry into filmmaking, because I'm like, I've always kind of wanted to film one of these trips. And I felt like this might, if I'm ever going to do it, it'd be this trip in the himalayas. But the thing was, I had, like, no experience making films. And at that point in time, that was, like, eight years ago when people thought about filmmaking, it's like these huge budgets, these really expensive and confusing cameras and production teams. But I had an iPhone, and I thought to myself, I wonder if I could do this in some training with YouTube. So I talked to a friend who actually does make films at that time professionally. He's like, well, technically, it's like one thousand eighty p.
Maxwell Frost [00:09:04]:
And started throwing all these numbers, and like, you could put that. And I'm like, okay, can I put it on the big screen? Like, would that work? And he says, actually, yeah, I think it would work. So I was like, awesome. Thank you. That's all I need to know. So I ended up turning that into a documentary. Just kind of processing, helping other people see themselves that felt stuck in life, like, not knowing what to do or how to get unstuck, and kind of my personal journey of getting unstuck. Don't forgive other people tools to be able to do the same.
Maxwell Frost [00:09:36]:
So it's that same sort of framework where hopefully other people can see themselves in a similar journey or a similar space or feeling stuck. And it's that resonating with your audience on that emotional level that helped really turn this film into. Ended up winning several awards across a few different countries. So it's like this cool experience, as well as me having no idea what I'm doing while I'm doing it. And it led to what I do now is helping other people make brand films with their phone, a $40 mic, and free editing software. So it really helped me figure out this whole process that I kind of. I really enjoy teaching other people now because it wasn't. I've never heard anyone else doing this, but I've had.
Maxwell Frost [00:10:20]:
Now, since making these films, I've had over 20 awards in eleven countries. So it's this confirmation that this process and the system works, that I teach.
Aleya Harris [00:10:29]:
Other people so many things that you just said that made me go, wait, excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me. The first thing, well, I'm going backwards, was you were like, a $40 phone and a what? And a what and a what? Because you're right. As soon as anybody hears film, or at least for me, again, anybody in this situation, I hear $10,000 to start. That's immediately, right off the bat, what I hear. But then I'm popping onto your services page, and you have a course that starts at $300. 299, to be specific, and then a workshop that's $2,999.
Aleya Harris [00:11:01]:
And because Maxwell is super dope, I'm just saying. Haven't known him for very long, but I'm enamored with this man. He has offered you, dear listener of the Flourishing Entrepreneur podcast, 30% off. So take that $10,000. Throw that out the window. Then start off with the prices on his website and then maybe give him a call because you get 30% off of all of his services. If you use the coupon code Tfe as in the flourishing entrepreneur podcast Tfe. 30 to get 30% off of all services.
Aleya Harris [00:11:33]:
I'm going to start there because that's shameless. Plug number 5,000,001 that we've done so far. Then I'm going to work backwards because there's some really key things that you said that I want to make sure that listeners do not miss. The first thing is you went through something that was super shitty. Super duper shitty. And you said I had to do something that was basically at an equal magnitude of positivity to balance my life out. And I think that's where a lot of people get stuck. They are in something that's super shitty.
Aleya Harris [00:12:09]:
So they're like, well I'm just gonna take a baby step forward and another baby step forward and hey. Do you boo? If that's what you need. That's what you need. But then you end up taking baby steps for years and years and years and you really don't ever let go of that ball and chain of that negative thing that's holding you back. So. I really love how you said this super shitty. Several super shitty things happened to me and I needed to make a large shift. And I.
Aleya Harris [00:12:33]:
And I applaud your brave and your courageousness for doing that. I mean how did you even know? Was that just an intuitive thing that you knew that that was what you needed to do?
Maxwell Frost [00:12:45]:
Yeah. Well. Thank you for saying that for me. So for me personally, I've always been a mountain person and I've always found solace and healing in the mountains. So I knew that was like baseline. And I also needed. I need to really disconnect in a substantial way. And you not only like you can't disconnect more than being buried in the northern indian Himalayas.
Maxwell Frost [00:13:07]:
Like there's tons of mountains. You're surrounded by that. People have never even been to the top two. And also that India is known for being a very spiritual place. So it's like all these things kind of coming together. Being a mountain person experiencing healing in the mountains and always wanting to go to the Himalayas anyway. So it just seemed like I was in a place in life where something substantial needed to shift. Like you're saying baby steps were going to help because baby steps did not get to me where I was at.
Maxwell Frost [00:13:33]:
It needed substantial like growth and improvements and really a unique space to do that, which, for me was the Himalayas. Plus, knowing that I was going to make a film, it's like, you need to have something substantial to talk about for a film anyway. So I was, like, not knowing what I was doing, knowing that it might be an interesting story that other people could relate to. Being in a stunning place didn't hurt. So it was like all these things that kind of came together. I'm like, all right, Himalayas. And I talked a friend into joining me who was also in a rough spot in life and just needed something to shift substantially. So it really.
Maxwell Frost [00:14:10]:
We're both in these same places where really, the life, the bottom, had dropped out like a wet paper bag. And we were like, all right, we got to do something meaningful and big to get unstuck. So for both of us, that's why we landed on the Himalayas.
Aleya Harris [00:14:23]:
I really love that. And if we put it into the context of the hero's journey, right? You had your call to action, and you heeded the call, and then you got to go on this adventure. And I'm sure there was all kinds of crap and wonderfulness and all of the Smish mosh that happened to you while you were on this adventures of trials. And then I just want everybody to realize, like, he did the full hero's journey, guys. Like, he went all the way around and he won awards for it. Like, that's kind of like, the perfect hero's journey situation transformed your pain into physical awards in multiple countries. Like, I'm very impressed. I think that's very, very cool.
Maxwell Frost [00:15:03]:
Thank you. For me, it was kind of, like, the only thing that made me the pain and the suffering digestible is knowing that it might help other people. Like, that was the only thing I could really hold on to, which is really. I mean, there's a lot of luck and grace in this story and process. Like, all sorts of crazy stuff that happened, but, yeah, the hero's journey. The only reason I knew of this trip or even being a possibility was I did have, in the hero's journey framework, a guide, this guy Tor, who had done it before and planted the thought in my head because, like, people don't think about biking in the hill. A's mainly because it's a terrible idea, but. So my friend Tor was really this guide who helped us navigate this part of the world that most other people don't do on a bike.
Maxwell Frost [00:15:49]:
That really furthered our healing and our exploration and the story itself. So, yeah, it really is that hero's journey framework that we ended up using, and how I kind of discovered that it was a framework through reading some books and studying film. And, like, how do I. So I began this journey by googling how to make a film. So that's where I started. So then I discovered, like, Joseph Campbell, and you'd mentioned that you have worked with Donna Miller and his framework. And I'm like, wow, this is a framework that, like, 80% of films in Hollywood use. This isn't like some small little thing that kind of gets used occasionally, not only in films, but also in marketing as well.
Maxwell Frost [00:16:32]:
And I've actually had Donald Miller come into our team and teach how to apply this, whether he's doing this rebranding some years back. And so, yeah, this framework is not only in film, it's in books, it's in marketing. It's really everywhere. Once you learn it, it's wild how you're kind of noticing it all over the place.
Aleya Harris [00:16:51]:
You can't help but see it. You can't help see it. And real quick, Maxwell, I just want to talk to listener real quick, just in case you didn't know. When I record these podcasts, dear listener, I have to mute myself, because otherwise I would be interrupting people with large bursts of laughter. And, yeah, girl, tell them. Tell them. When Maxville was just talking, I was on mute because I'm a respectful human. But, oh, my God, the laughter that was coming out of me.
Aleya Harris [00:17:20]:
He could see my face, and I'm sure he was like, this is so funny. Why can't anybody tell? And I just wanted everyone to know that I am thoroughly enjoying this conversation, just in case you're wondering. Okay, Maxwell, so one of the things that you said was that you, when you got started, you googled the most basic of the basic. Of the basic of the basic things. You could google how to make a film, which I think is brilliant, because a lot of people feel like, well, if I'm going to go on the journey, I have to be fully equipped. And actually, Joseph Campbell has a quote that says, a hero is a personage of exceptional gifts, but the hero is also the person who knows absolutely nothing when they get started on their journey, but they innately are someone who is capable. And every person is on a hero's journey of their own. Sometimes a couple at once, I think, right? And you tapped into the knowledge somehow.
Aleya Harris [00:18:19]:
There was a confidence that got rolled around there. Somehow, I think, to say, I can actually do this. I know absolutely nothing of what I'm doing, but I can actually do this. How did that happen. How did you tap into the knowing that I can go bike around the himalayas even though my life just kind of blew up? And, oh, by the way, I'm going to take my cell phone and make a multi award winning film. How did you say I got this?
Maxwell Frost [00:18:47]:
Well, it definitely didn't start as I got this, or maybe even ended as I got this. But my biggest value in life is being a learner. And that's really how I approach life, or try to, at least. And so I just love learning. I have an undergrad in education. I'm a sponge to the point where I'm, like, trying at, like, 03:00 a.m. In the morning, I'm googling. Fastest way to learn Japanese.
Maxwell Frost [00:19:13]:
Like, it's just kind of borderline obsessive. So for me, I thought, okay, this would be fun. I love films. Our culture loves films. We're obsessed with films like the amount of Netflix we watch and Disney plus and whatever else. So there is something to this type of storytelling that I want to learn more about. So I really approached it as a learner and in marketing, I've made a lot of videos over the year, marketing videos and educational videos. So I had a general kind of.
Maxwell Frost [00:19:39]:
At that point, it wasn't a ton of videos, but it was some. So it was like that little flicker of, okay, I know how to cut and export sport 1 minute videos. That's something. I know that there's probably some crossover there, and I'm just gonna approach this as a learner. And I wasn't sure it was actually gonna be a film because I didn't know what I was gonna do. I didn't know how I was gonna do it. If it's either gonna be a story worth telling because we use the footage, is there gonna be too much background noise? There's, like, all of these questions floating in my head. So I just made it.
Maxwell Frost [00:20:11]:
I tried to make it on myself easy, in that maybe this isn't a film. I'm just gonna try it out. I'm gonna get this footage. I'm gonna try to capture this story in a helpful way or interesting way. But at the end, I wasn't sure if I was gonna make it into a film, because I still spent the next four years diving down the YouTube channel whole, trying to figure out how to make this thing. Because, like, if you go to YouTube, there's one person saying, you do this, and the other person says, you can't do this. And, like, it's hard to tell even, like, where to begin because I was doing the thing that what this person said. But I go to YouTube when this person said, it's wrong, and like, how do I.
Maxwell Frost [00:20:47]:
So it was like this. It was really overwhelming. But I just started step by step, okay, the first step was, I'm gonna try this thing out. It might be trash. I might never use it. Okay. It might be something here. After the trip crap.
Maxwell Frost [00:20:59]:
Now I gotta learn how to edit a film and color a film and master a film. And all these things that I've now learned how to make them hopefully digestible for the average person. Like anyone in my course, I say to like a three to 15 minutes film to start with, because then you can kind of wrap your head around three minutes. Because even, like, Microsoft recently made a three minute film. So it's like, even the big guys that are really good at this thing, they often. It doesn't need to be this huge hour and a half film. Usually it's like that three to 15 minutes range. So for people starting off now, I probably should have started that way.
Maxwell Frost [00:21:36]:
That's one thing I learned, is not starting with a feature film, but I have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew. That's kind of like, default mode for me as well. So all those things kind of playing together. If people are listening to this, I do not recommend starting off with a feature film. Like, that's actually a bad idea. And you're gonna be screaming in a pillow a lot if you do that. Like, me and spending years going down the YouTube poll. Start with, like, a three to 15 minutes film.
Maxwell Frost [00:22:02]:
Like, that's a really good place to start to get familiar with the process. Start to finish.
Aleya Harris [00:22:08]:
I love that. I love, like, don't do what I did. I took the hard road so you don't have to. I also love another thing that you talked about, which is in order to overcome a sense of self consciousness, you use curiosity. You overcame your ego with curiosity. I do that same thing when I'm on stage. But instead of using curiosity, I use being of service. How can I best serve who's in front of me? And I make it not of about myself? I think that that's the key when you're telling a story, is realizing your own role in the story as the storyteller.
Aleya Harris [00:22:43]:
It's not about you. What is the why of the story? Why are you telling the story in the first place? You aren't just like, oh, man, chuck me out on this cool bike, man, my calves are smoking. Like, it was not about that. It was about, like you said, helping other people navigate these life shifts. You got curious then, about being on your own journey, but you still could have failed. I mean, let's be honest, right? You could have, like, gone up and smoked. So how did you. What is your relationship with success and failure? And how did you overcome any limiting beliefs that were trying to pull you towards failure so you could lean more into success?
Maxwell Frost [00:23:22]:
Yeah, I probably should have failed on the trip. Like, we failed in several ways. Didn't get like, it was. It was not a straight line for the journey, and filmmaking was definitely. It was mainly downs, honestly, years of just trying to figure this thing out. But like you said, it's framing it, seeing it as something that hopefully is helpful for other people. Like, if this were just about me and my ego, I would have quit a long time ago. And most adventure films are, look at me.
Maxwell Frost [00:23:50]:
Look at how awesome I am. So I went into it knowing that I didn't want that to be the story and the hero of this story. That specific film is actually the indian people we met along the way in the indian Himalayas, that we experienced the healing that we needed through these people that were just going way out of their way with generosity and kindness and warmth in a way I'd never experienced from strangers. And it's really. They are the heroes of the story. So that's what kind of kept me going when things were hard. And the curiosity thing, I really like that because, yeah, curiosity is really is another baseline of just anything in life. Doing anything interesting, anything big.
Maxwell Frost [00:24:29]:
It's helpful to approach it in a curious way rather than thinking, I'm gonna knock this out of the park, because in my experience, I've never started that way. It's always been a lot of just learning and growing and trying to stay. Like you said, the relationship between success and failure. A lot of people talk about failure, like, oh, just see it as a way to grow and learn and get better. I don't necessarily start that way. I've learned to give myself some space to feel the feels before I jump into that is, this sucks. This was hard. Or especially when it's, like, losing a lot of money or losing friends or, like, there's this almost this healing process that I need to go through before I can get to the point where I'm like, okay, what can I learn from this? Because there's definitely things I can learn from this.
Maxwell Frost [00:25:16]:
And with that specific story of losing our girls, I couldn't really position in, like, oh, I can use this for my benefit. Like, it's just a weird thing. But I do know that other people go through hard things like that, losing kids in different stages and can. Or other people that can really resonate with grieving and trying to understand it in the mix of it. So it's like, yeah, like you said, focusing yourself more as the guide rather than the hero of the story is walking people through these processes. And that's what helped me continue to get to the point where I actually finished that film and other films, because it's all. It's like every film is hard. Like, there's much easier ways to do life, especially these feature films.
Maxwell Frost [00:25:57]:
But the cool thing is, and one thing I talk about in the course is pain is temporary, but film is forever. Like, film is this legacy that we leave behind. And what's. I think that's what's so powerful about using it specifically in the marketing space is it's not just these drop in the bucket posts that last 3 seconds. It has this long shelf life that really makes the hard parts worth it. Like, doing anything worthwhile is hard at times, for sure.
Aleya Harris [00:26:27]:
Absolutely. And I just really want to make sure that everybody hears this quote. So I'm going to say it in my meditation voice so that everybody hears what Maxwell just said. He said, pain is temporary, but film is forever. I don't think people understand how powerful that is, because sometimes we get so caught up in our pain that one, we don't let it be temporary. We continue to hold onto it and try to make it feel like forever, because it becomes part of our identity. So let your pain be temporary, I think, is the first piece of that. And then also that film being forever makes the pain, like you were saying, maxwell, worthwhile.
Aleya Harris [00:27:12]:
If you're gonna go through something, let it help you, let it help someone else. Let it change a conversation around something, because otherwise you were just in pain for no good reason. And somehow that makes it even more painful. I also want to go back to one of the things that you were talking about about, like removing, like being in the grief, feeling it first, and then moving forward. I think that's very, very, very key. I do a lot of work around with Abraham Hicks. I'm recently, like, into that whole world, which is basically the baseline of the films and the books, the secret and things like that. Right.
Aleya Harris [00:27:50]:
It's about the law of attraction, and it focuses a lot on getting to a better feeling place. But for me, I have to feel the thing even quickly. First excavate it and intentionally remove it from my center focus to then feel the good feeling. Otherwise, it's like trying to clean up a horse stall with a horse that's pooping over your shoulder. It's like, what is the point here? It's just still coming. It's just here now I'm covering in manure really is where we're at. Right, sorry for that very graphic analogy. It just kind of came out accurate.
Aleya Harris [00:28:34]:
Accurate. I try. I do try. So it seems like you have been telling great stories about yourself and great stories for other people. But if you could pick one kind of main story or key points of a story that you want other people to tell about you when you are gone, what would that story be like?
Maxwell Frost [00:29:01]:
Yeah, I love legacy questions. It helps really put focus on the now and the future. And I love these types of questions. So, yes, thank you for asking that. For me personally, it would be hopefully to talk about a story or stories where I've helped them get unstuck so they can live bigger and bolder lives. So it's the classic hero's journey. That's the podcast I have that's really wrapped in all the films that I do, both for fun as well as for business, for brands. It's really all this kind of helping people get unstuck.
Maxwell Frost [00:29:34]:
The classic heroes journey we keep talking about. I love that when people's lights just go on and they step into a bigger future. Like, I just love those moments in my life, as well as helping other people step into those moments, which is really when it comes down to it, which is why I make films for fun as well as for companies. That's. That's the book I'm writing right now. It's like all these things coming together. I recently realized I love to help people getting stuck to live bigger and bolder lives, that's kind of been the undercurrent that I've been holding onto subconsciously. And now it's more conscious, too.
Aleya Harris [00:30:09]:
You know, it's interesting because yours is helping people get unstuck so they can live bigger and bolder lives, and mine is helping love people into the highest versions of themselves. And it's funny, when I talk to people who have kind of really immersed themselves into the world of storytelling, we are all able to better articulate our own purpose because we're able to see the story and the stories of our lives through a framework very differently than most people do, where they're just kind of seeing things happen all willy nilly. And extrapolating that why has gotten me through difficult times. It's gotten me focus. It's helped me understand what I need to create where my place is. So I'm. So. It's very edifying for me to hear you articulate your purpose so clearly, because it just shows me, again, almost like a latent function of being a storyteller and learning story is being able to articulate your purpose better to yourself.
Aleya Harris [00:31:15]:
So thank you for that gift. You've given me several gifts today. Thank you for that gift. And, oh, I want to also mention, dear listener, the gift that Maxwell given you, which, if you're not already sold on working with him, you clearly weren't listening. Go back, rewind, try again. When you work with him. Not if. When you work with him, I encourage you to take advantage of his coupon code, which gives you 30% off of all services.
Aleya Harris [00:31:37]:
Use the code TFE 30. That is like the flourishing entrepreneur. 30. TFE 30. To get 30% off. Maxwell, before I let you go from this very awesome interview, I don't really want it to end, but, you know, I try to, like, respect people's time instead. I have one more question for you. Are you ready? Can I ask you one final question?
Maxwell Frost [00:31:59]:
I'm ready.
Aleya Harris [00:31:59]:
I love it. I love it. I love it. If you could ask the universe for something right now and be a hundred percent sure it would manifest, what would it be?
Maxwell Frost [00:32:13]:
Yeah, for me, it would be to get. I have a certain number in my head for this brand film school to get to so I can step away and do films full time, because there's a lot of films I want to do that wouldn't get funding otherwise, feature films. So I want to get to the point where I hit this number with this company, I can sell it, and then just make films full time, which is something that not a lot of people get the opportunity to do. So I think that would be awesome. Especially these stories that I want to tell that wouldn't be told otherwise. So if that's. If that's my thing right now, because I love what I'm doing now. I love this thing, and I'd still be involved in it, but I'd also love to.
Maxwell Frost [00:32:57]:
My first passion is really filmmaking and telling stories, like I said, to help people get unstuck. And with this opportunity, if that happened, I would be able to do it full time and get more of those stories out in the world. So hopefully more people would be able to help them get unstuck. So that's the thing that's on my mind when you ask that question.
Aleya Harris [00:33:16]:
I love it. That's a beautiful thing to have on your mind. And I am coming into agreement with you that the universe will bring all those collaborative components to make that happen for you. It has been a joy speaking with you, Maxwell. If the people would like to take advantage of your coupon code as well as learn more about you, please tell them where they can go ahead and do that.
Maxwell Frost [00:33:39]:
Yeah, the best place to go is brandfilmschool.com. Just head over there. It's got all the stuff. And yeah, I really appreciate you allowing me to be on your show and this was a lot of fun. I had tons of fun with this conversation. My favorite thing. These are my favorite things to talk about. So yes, I really appreciate this opportunity.
Aleya Harris [00:33:58]:
This was fun and I appreciate having you. Thank you so much. Bye for now.
Maxwell Frost [00:34:03]:
Bye.
Aleya Harris [00:34:06]:
Dear listener, I just need to restate that quote that Matthew said one more time. Pain is temporary, but film is forever. Sit on that. Meditate on that for a second. Because some people use their story to rehash their grief rather than using their story to be of service to others. The first one is painful. The second one is where healing and relief are located. I want you to ask yourself, which one are you doing? Maxwell said so many amazing things in this episode, including using curiosity to overcome his ego, understanding that he knew nothing, and diving in and doing all of the work to learn and then become award winning, going on a complete and marvelous hero's journey, and the concept of if you've gone through some big crap, you need to do some big positive crap to counteract that and be bold and courageous and heroic.
Aleya Harris [00:35:15]:
See what I did there to be able to tell your new story. Wowzers, wowzers, wowzers. So many great things here from Maxwell. And truthfully, every guest on the flourishing entrepreneur podcast has something amazing to offer. So I invite you to like this episode so to subscribe. And with that, I wish you, dear listener, my dear, my friend, my dear listener, lots of love, light and abundance. Bye for now.
Yuliya Patsay [00:35:52]:
Thank you for listening to this episode of the flourishing entrepreneur podcast with Aleyah Harris. Vibing with what you hear, leave a five star review to see, spread the love and be sure to click subscribe. We wish you love, light and abundance. See you next time.
