This is something different. I told a story at Mezrab and it was recorded. As part of my work on developing a new hip-hop storytelling show I talked about a very distant brush with possible fame, on the theme of Bittersweet. So, no pep talk, per se, but still, a pretty nice story, recorded live. Enjoy! 

Ryan broadcasts from a spaceship to talk about a risky experiment with EU food safety negotiators—and why the world needs more A+ attempts instead of guaranteed C+ outcomes.Episode Summary:Ryan takes you to space (sort of) to talk about a trip to Brussels, where he ran communication sessions for 60+ food standards negotiators—despite knowing nothing about food standards. Instead of playing it safe, he designed a custom negotiation game called Space Race Quest: personas with conflicting priorities, made-up planets, and real practice in listening, clarifying, and finding compromise. It could have flopped. It didn't.This episode is about the case for trying the risky thing—the work that only you can offer—instead of settling for lukewarm.

Remote Pep Talks with Ryan Millar Episode: Setting Sail on New VenturesEpisode Summary Ryan once dismissed sailing as an elitist pastime. But after stepping aboard tall ships at SAIL Amsterdam, he discovered something else entirely: sailing is rebellion, discipline, and freedom all at once. In this episode, Ryan unpacks how the craft of sailing offers powerful lessons for launching new ventures — including his own with Dashwell, a company helping people communicate with clarity, presence, and impact.What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeWhy real freedom is built on discipline, competence, and teamwork.How to “put miles beneath the keel” when starting something new.What sailing can teach us about leading, adapting, and showing up fully.Key Quotes“Sailing is the ultimate ‘forget convention’ move — it’s freedom earned through skill.”“Even in calm waters, you’re always working your ship. Progress never happens on autopilot.”“Launching something new means casting off — even if the horizon feels uncertain.”Your Pep Talk Whether you’re sitting on an idea, halfway through a project, or ready for a new chapter, this is your invitation: cast off, adjust your sails, and set your course. The discipline and craft you bring will carry you further than you think.Ryan’s New Venture This episode is also the beginning of Dashwell — Ryan’s new coaching and training company that blends improvisation, storytelling, and presence to help professionals thrive when it matters most. 👉 Learn more at www.dashwell.orgCredits Sailboat sounds: Studio Nowhere Music: Josh “Bone 40”

We're going back into the vault and reissuing some old episodes. Enjoy this one in which Ryan dives into the topic of imposter syndrome, which let's be honest, is probably something you've wrestled with in the past. Hopefully successfully, though it's likely an ongoing battle.

This is not just about turtles, it's about memorization, persistence and meaning making.Also, here's the poem Turtle, by Kay RyanWho would be a turtle who could help it?A barely mobile hard roll, a four-oared helmet,she can ill afford the chances she must takein rowing toward the grasses that she eats.Her track is graceless, like dragginga packing-case places, and almost any slopedefeats her modest hopes. Even being practical,she's often stuck up to the axle on her wayto something edible. With everything optimal,she skirts the ditch which would converther shell into a serving dish. She livesbelow luck-level, never imagining some lotterywill change her load of pottery to wings.Her only levity is patience,the sport of truly chastened things.

Sometimes events can bum us out, big things out of our control. In that case, let's focus on what we can manage. In this episode, which happens to take place on the sidelines of a community football match, Ryan lays out three things that you can focus on to help you power through. 

Ryan talks the importance of finishing work, and to prove the point he shares a rap song he made a few years ago, that actually turned out to be pretty good. Finish your things. Not all of them, of course.

Ryan takes a walk in the woods and discusses the importance of taking steps, both physical and figurative.Topics covered include podcasting, push-ups, housework and parenting. 

A delightful, wide-ranging and in-depth chat with the fascinating and delightful Jillian Vorce of the Jillian Group. In addition to being an exceptionally good hang, Jillian is a B-Corp consultant, podcaster, and speaker with a heart for sustainability. In this episode we look back at how she started her agency, grew it so rapidly, and how and why she ended up changing directions in her personal and professional life, and what all of that has taught her. 

In this episode Ryan sits around the campfire and discusses sticking with projects even during the time when they start to get tricky, and the initial enthusiasm wanes. It's short and sweet with lots of useful reinforcing ideas about the value of sticktoitiveness, which is incidentally a great word.