Most People Were Talked Out of Their Dream Before It Started | S2S 536

Somebody talked you out of your dream before it ever had a chance. Maybe it was a parent. Maybe a friend. Maybe someone you trusted. And the worst part? They didn’t even know they were doing it.

CJ takes his son Trey to a skateboard store and watches a 6-year-old fall twice in front of a crowd, get back up, and look at his dad like it was nothing — because CJ realized he was about to pass his own fear to his son. Fear of something he’d never even tried.

ET traces his version, leaving comfort in Huntsville to chase something bigger when everyone said he already had enough. Jemal gives a raw testimony — real estate, the daycare, the businesses — every significant venture required blind, childlike faith. The one that didn’t? Becoming a police officer. His whole family was already there. Everything else? Trust God with nothing upfront. And Karl brings the financial lens: your side hustle doesn’t just need to make money. It needs to make sense.

This one will make you think about who you’ve been taking advice from. And whether they’ve ever actually been on the skateboard.

📌 TIMESTAMPS

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Opening: Karl’s Multi-Million Dollar Real Estate Deal and the Five Pillars
• 00:01:44 Welcome and Team Introductions: One Week Until the Chicago Conference
• 00:05:47 The Skateboard Story: How Trey’s Childlike Faith Teaches Us to Get Back Up
• 00:08:45 Most People Were Talked Out of Their Dream Before It Started
• 00:12:33 Who Is Your Skateboard Instructor? The Importance of the Right Mentors
• 00:35:59 Unless You Become Like Little Children: The Scripture That Changes Everything
• 00:40:15 Show Up to the Conference as a Child, Not as an Adult
• 00:44:03 ET’s Stone Mountain Story: Choosing to Be a Shepherd, Not a Competitor
• 00:51:15 For I Know the Plans I Have for You: God’s Spiritual 529 Plan
• 00:56:45 Why This Conference Is Different: Three-Exing for God’s Work
• 01:02:33 Jamal’s Testimony: From Audience Member to Keynote Speaker at His Own High School
• 01:07:17 Make Your Side Hustle Make Sense: The Million Dollar Uber Ride
• 01:09:24 Closing Prayer: Lazarus, Come Forth—Breaking Free from the Weeds

🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS
→ The person who talked you out of your dream probably never tried it themselves
→ A child sees what’s possible. An adult only sees what’s impossible
→ You’re not afraid of the risk, you’re afraid of what people will think when you fall
→ Show up as a student, not a teacher
→ Your side hustle shouldn’t just make money, it should make sense

⬇️ Kalm Down with Karl When something is coming at you, you slow down. But when you have something to run toward, you speed up. What are you running toward?

💰 Mal’s Millionaire Moment Jemal breaks down every venture he’s ever built and the one thing they all had in common. Zero evidence it would work when he started. Just blind, childlike faith.

🎟️ 1% CONFERENCE, CHICAGO APRIL 16-18, 2026
Eric Thomas and world-class speakers including
– Sarah Jakes
– Jameis Winston,
– Inky Johnson,
– Wallstreet Trapper,
– Earn Your Leisure, and more.
3 days. 12,000 people.

Total transformation.
Day 1: Women’s Day,
Day 2: Men’s Day,
Day 3: VIP Family Day Tickets: https://etonepercent.com

🔔 NEVER MISS AN EPISODE
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Patreon: Behind the scenes access, live recordings, exclusive Q&A, and ET speech streams. If you’re serious about this, this is where you need to be: https://www.patreon.com/c/S2SPodcast120

ABOUT THE SECRET TO SUCCESS PODCAST The Secret to Success Podcast, hosted by Dr. Eric Thomas (ET), CJ Quinney, Karl Phillips and Jemal King, is one of the most impactful personal development podcasts in the world. Each week the team breaks down real conversations around success, discipline, wealth, leadership, relationships, and entrepreneurship. If you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, this is the podcast for you.