Bold, Audacious Living: How to Stop Playing Small After 50


Does this sound familiar? You’ve done everything “right” and still feel like you’re holding yourself back. Today’s guest wants you to know that after 50, it’s time to stop playing small and consider that the boldest chapter of your life isn’t behind you. Rather, it’s waiting on the other side of a single courageous step.

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Audley Stephnson built his entire philosophy around one word: audacious. From an unexpected internship that led nowhere, to becoming the commissioner of a Canadian basketball league, to launching a podcast that grew to 600+ episodes, Audley’s journey is a masterclass in what becomes possible when you stop waiting for permission. In our conversation, we talk about how to recognize the thread of courage that’s been running through your own life all along, how to challenge the beliefs that no longer serve you, and how sharing your messy, imperfect, real story can be the very thing that gives someone else permission to begin.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

  • What “audacious” actually means and why it’s self-defined, not one-size-fits-all (this reframe alone might change everything for you).
  • How to spot the red thread of courage that’s already running through your life, even if you haven’t recognized it yet.
  • A powerful tool for challenging the beliefs that once served you but are quietly keeping you stuck in patterns you’ve outgrown.
  • Audley’s BOLD Framework — four principles for outlasting adversity, living your truth, and choosing growth even when life is hard.
  • Why sharing your story — not a polished, finished version, but the real one — is one of the most powerful gifts you can give another woman.
  • How we are all “undefeated” by our hardest moments — and how that reframe can shift everything when you’re in the middle of a valley.

Read the Transcript

If you’ve been sitting on a dream or a pivot, this episode will remind you that you’re already more audacious than you think.

About My Guest

Audley Stephenson is the host of the Audacious Living Podcast, with over 600 episodes dedicated to helping people live life boldly through real conversations and purposeful action. He’s also the author of Living Your Best Audacious Life Ever: How Unleashing Your Inner Greatness Can Change the World. From his early days as a sports podcaster with media credentials in NBA locker rooms, to serving as commissioner of a Canadian basketball league, Audley’s life is a living example of what happens when you say yes before you feel ready. He lives and breathes the philosophy that audacity — in whatever form it takes for you — is always worth it.

Connect with Audley:

Resources & links mentioned:

  • The BOLD Framework: Better than yesterday | Outlast adversity | Live your truth | Disrupt the norm
  • Gloria’s L.O.V.E. Method: Let go and let God | Open your heart to receive | Value your uniqueness | Embrace your divinity
  • Podfest — the podcasting conference where Gloria and Audley first met

Design Your Life, Your Way – next steps:

TRANSCRIPT – Bold, Audacious Living: How to Stop Playing Small After 50

Gloria: Namaste. Today’s guest is an amazing gentleman that I met a while ago. His name is Audley Stephenson, and Audley is the host of the Audacious Living Podcast with over six hundred episodes dedicated to helping people live life audaciously through bold conversations, real stories, and purposeful living. He’s also the author of an upcoming book, Living Your Best Audacious Life, set for release in spring of 2026. And actually, by the time you’re watching this episode, because I did prerecord it, it’s probably out already. So I’ll make sure that I have the link in the show notes for you. So I hope that you are ready for an energizing conversation about purpose, courage, and what it really means to live boldly and dare I say, design your life your way. Because Audley and I are both focused on doing that. And I’m going to bring him on to tell you sort of where his focus is in particular. So let me bring him up here right now. There you are. Welcome to Design Your Life Your Way.

Audley: Oh, Gloria. This is wonderful. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Thank you for taking the time to have this conversation. I just love these chats and I’m always a big fan of them because, you know, at the end of the day, you and I will engage in conversation and who knows what people will hear, what they’ll take away from it and how they’ll better their lives. And we may never, ever know. That’s the world of podcasting — we never know. But the idea, the whole idea of being a part of someone’s process in a small way, it’s really exciting.

Gloria: Oh, absolutely. Yeah. And it’s like — I always come to these things with some questions, but if your answers take me somewhere else, I’m going to go down that trail because I don’t have to be married to these things. You and I met at Podfest. And when I found out what your podcast was about, it was like, oh my gosh, we’re kindred spirits. My focus, of course, is for women. And your focus is on men. And I love the word audacious. I wanted to actually tell our audience what it is because I left out a little bit of your bio — I want you to really talk about this. So, Merriam-Webster defines audacious as intrepidly daring and recklessly bold, contemptuous of law or religion or decorum, or marked by originality and verve. So I would love for you to tell our audience, what does living an audacious life really mean to you? What does it mean to be audacious?

What It Means to Live Audaciously: A Self-Defined Path

Audley: I really believe — and it’s funny, it’s a word that I absolutely love — it’s defined my life. Didn’t really know it at the moment, but when I started to really get awoken to what audacity truly means, I’m like, well, I think I’ve been doing that. To me, it’s stepping out of your comfort zone, taking risks, doing things differently, going off the beaten path — if you will. All of these things encompass what it truly means to live an audacious life. And the most important thing in all of that is that it’s very much self-defined. How I define audacity for myself could be very different from you or Tom or Sally — but that doesn’t diminish it in any way, shape, or form. And so yeah, it’s just going out and trying that thing you’ve never, ever done before. Taking that leap, taking that chance. It’s quietly guided my life. I didn’t know it was there, but man, when I realized it, I’m like, oh my gosh, I’ve got to tell the whole world. And you know, we podcast and we talk, we write books and that kind of stuff, and we encourage individuals to embrace that way of living.

Gloria: I love that. Now, was there a particular moment or experience that really guided you on this path of audacity?

From Sports Intern to NBA Locker Rooms: The Origin Story

A Dream, a Handshake, and an Unexpected Beginning

Audley: Yeah, I know — I’ll try and condense the story as much as possible. I truly believe our life is a collection of experiences. They all kind of feed and shape who we are in this present moment. And my life was no different. So I’m going to go back a few years because it was back in 2007. I’ve always been a big basketball guy — basketball was a big part of my world. And I was also a big fan of broadcasting. I decided one day that I was going to work for a sports channel here in Toronto called The Score. It was an all-sports channel. And I was like, man, I’m going to get on there and they’re going to love me, and I’m going to talk about basketball through this internship. It’s going to be wonderful.

Audley: And it was a good experience. I sat in the archive room — this is VHS tapes, running around lugging tapes and archiving — the old school way. They don’t do that anymore. But that’s how I started. And at the end of that assignment, no one offered me a job. I didn’t become an on-air reporter or a broadcaster in any way, shape, or form. They were very appreciative of what I had done and said, thank you very much, all the best — I got kind of a nice handshake and off I went. And I remember leaving going, oh, that’s kind of anticlimactic. Oh, okay. Oh, well.

Podcasting Before Anyone Knew What Podcasting Was

Audley: And the most interesting thing that happened while I was there is I met a gentleman by the name of Dave Mendonca. Dave was an on-air reporter, and I was this guy just full of energy who loved basketball. So we had this natural synergy. About a year after my time with the sport channel ended, Dave and I reconnected on this thing called Facebook — so we’re talking 2008 now. And we just started talking. He had left The Score and was doing some other stuff. And we then got into this conversation about podcasting. I said, I’ve heard of this thing called podcasting. Want to check it out? And we literally started. You talk about audacity — you’re trying something you’ve never heard of, never done before. You just jump into it.

Audley: So we did this podcast centered on NBA basketball. At the time, you know, in Toronto, the Raptors hadn’t won a championship yet. Canada was still very much a hockey country. And you’ve got these two guys — I’m this big tall Black guy with a bald head, and you’ve got this little short Portuguese guy — and we’re fighting about basketball. We became the odd couple. We became this novelty. And we had lots and lots of online success. And that actually led to the Toronto Raptors giving us media credentials. So now we’re in the locker rooms talking to players — the Kobe Bryants and LeBron Jameses of the world — and we’re like two giddy kids going, oh my gosh, I can’t believe you’re here. And that’s kind of what started this journey.

The Pivot That Led to a Commissioner’s Role

Audley: In 2011, the NBA had a lockout. So the basketball stops. Well, that year, there was a Canadian basketball league that got started called NBL Canada. And I said, well, there’s no NBA — let me pivot to NBL. I go to the NBL guys, I’m this experienced podcaster, I’ve been in NBA locker rooms — and they bought it. They accepted my proposal. I started working for them.

Audley: And I’m going to fast-forward because a lot happened. But we went from being this podcaster reporting on the game to eventually becoming the commissioner of the league about five or six years later. I got the call saying, hey, do you want to do this? I’d never done it before, had no idea what exactly was involved — and I said, yeah, sure. Audaciously jumped into that.

The Pandemic, Purpose, and Starting the Audacious Living Podcast

Audley: Things were going great. And then, of course, in 2020, we all know what happened. The pandemic hit. And that was kind of like a brick wall for me. I took it really hard because I was like, what the heck is this thing? What’s going on? I had this sense of loss and grief. I really was in a state of depression because the things I loved — basketball — was no longer at my disposal. And I remember getting into a conversation with someone and literally saying out loud, it’s when I lost basketball. That’s why I feel the way I do. And when you can pinpoint something, it opens up the doors.

Audley: So I said, okay, great. I know what it is. How do I fix it? I thought, well, what can I do? Hey, I’ve been podcasting for years. Why don’t I jump back into podcasting? I’d done it before. It’s not brand new — nine years later, but I did my first one. So let’s do it again. But I was very clear that I wanted to do something different. I didn’t want another basketball podcast. I didn’t want another hip hop podcast or leadership podcast. I wanted something different.

Audley: And I literally did an analysis of my life. I stopped and said, I look back — and I could see in every milestone, in every victory and every accomplishment, there was this thread, this red thread of audacity. And that was the connector. Every single thing I had done — whether it was starting a brand new podcast, approaching a basketball league I knew nothing about, or accepting a role as commissioner — it happened because I demonstrated this thing called audacity. I didn’t have the language quite yet, but I could see it was there. And that’s what started the process of going, okay, this is very audacious of me — and it just literally hit me one day.

Audley: And it’s funny because people oftentimes say, oh wow, great job marketing your name — Audley and audacious. Yeah, true. But we’re not connected. It was a happy circumstance. But what that tells me is that it was meant to be.

Gloria: Oh, absolutely. Yeah. And I do believe there are no accidents in this world. It’s like you were given this name and it just takes time to live into it. And you did, because you were being audacious all the way through your life — taking risks and jumping into things. I was looking at your LinkedIn profile and I was like, Commissioner of basketball in Canada — holy moly, this guy’s really done a lot of stuff in his life.

Gloria: I can relate as well. When I first started out in college, I was majoring in business and then switched to broadcasting. Got a job working for the Nightly Business Report. So it was like God — or Source, or whatever you call it — was always saying business is still something you need to pay attention to. And I wound up starting my own business. And even the same thing with you — I had a podcast originally back in 2015, did that for a while, then stopped it. My next iteration, Live Love Engage, I started in December of 2019, and I was really glad I did because I was able to have all these wonderful interviews through that time.

Audley: I love that. We’re kindred spirits — I could tell right away, just in that first time we met. And we didn’t even talk that long that day.

The Roots of Audacity: Family, Fathers, and the Thread That Runs Through

A Mother Who Still Believes Her Best Days Are Ahead

Audley: The other interesting thing is when I stopped and started to look back — and I’ll even go back to my parents. My mom, who’s eighty-three, is like — you talk about a pillar for what audacious living is all about. Not too long ago, she said to me at the age of eighty-three: my best days are in front of me. And I was like, wow. That’s legitimately how she’s always lived her life.

Reconnecting with an Absent Father: A Lesson in Audacious Courage

Audley: And then I tell the story of my father. My parents split up when I was six months old. So I was raised without my father — I didn’t have any image of him. Didn’t know what he looked like. Nothing at all. I was in my early twenties. I had just become a father myself — my daughter was six months old. And that’s when we met for the very first time.

Audley: Part of his story was that he was quite ill and he knew his days were numbered. So that was the motivation for him to find his long-lost son and reconnect. In the moment, I didn’t think a lot about it. But so much time has passed, and I’ve thought about it many, many times throughout the years. He entered my life. We had a wonderful relationship for just over four years. And then he passed away. And that’s sort of how that particular story ended.

Audley: But having had that perspective — I even look at his actions, the idea of reaching out to a son he’d had no relationship with, had no idea how I’d receive him, how I’d feel about him. That’s pretty audacious. It truly, truly is. Because it’s so easy to think, there’s so much water under the bridge. It doesn’t make a difference. Why even bother? He could have done that and no one would have blamed him. But he was like, despite all that, I’m still going to reach out. And so — I actually dedicate a chapter in my book to both my parents, because I can very much see the roots of my audacity.

Gloria: Oh, well, you come from good stock, clearly. So — how do you go about helping other people move past fear? Because really, being audacious is stepping out of your comfort zone and saying, I’m going to do this — but sometimes fear tends to hold us back too often.

Overcoming Fear and Limiting Beliefs: Tools for Midlife Courage

The Power of Shared Stories to Break Isolation

Audley: I’m such a big fan of sharing stories. I think that if you want to make the biggest impact or difference in people’s lives, share your journey, share your story, share what you have experienced. Because it’s really easy — if I’m going through some stuff and it’s difficult and challenging and I’m not quite sure how to move through this — it’s really easy in those moments to think nobody on the planet has any idea what you’re facing, what you’re going through, what that feels like. And so just imagine: you’re in that moment, and someone else comes along and says, yeah, I know what you’re talking about. Like, I went through that too. That was last week. And here’s what I did. And here’s who helped me and here’s the resources I brought in. And now look where I’m at. That is so empowering. That’s so encouraging. The feeling of isolation is real. And so I very much believe in sharing stories.

Challenging Old Beliefs That No Longer Serve You

Audley: I also think it’s important to challenge our beliefs. Our minds are a beautiful thing, but not everything that goes on in our heads is actually correct or based in truth. And it’s really important to challenge those things. I’ll give you a quick example. Growing up in my household, we went to church — every Sunday was church. And my mom was adamant that I had these — we called them my Sunday shoes — and I only wore them on Sundays. No other day of the week. The reason was because I was a rambunctious, energetic kid. I’d destroy them. She wanted me to have something nice to wear to church. So it was always, those are your Sunday shoes.

Audley: Now as life goes on, I’m in my forties. I realize I still have Sunday shoes — and I didn’t understand why. But when you look back, I know where it came from. And it’s because as a child I needed to. But as you move through life, things change. I’m not as rambunctious. I take better care of them, I can clean them — there’s all sorts of things I now do as an adult that will ensure I still have nice shoes when I go to church. That was a belief I had to overcome.

Audley: And I don’t want to make it sound like I’m demonizing it or making it sound like it’s bad or negative. The belief about Sunday shoes served me when I was a child. As an adult, I no longer need Sunday shoes. There’s no reason why I can’t wear those shoes on Thursday or Friday or Monday. So it’s very much about challenging the things you believe and really understanding — yes, it was this, but is it still the same?

Audley: And one cool way of doing that: anything that you really hold firm to, anything that produces a response where you go, I always do this in a situation, or I only ever do this, or I never do that — those sorts of things. Take a moment and simply ask yourself why. In the world of coaching, you ask yourself why five times to get to the heart of the matter. Why do I do it? Why? And why? That helps you understand — is this rooted in truth, or is it something I need to let go of?

Gloria: Yeah, absolutely. It’s interesting how sometimes these things become automatic and we don’t even notice. There’s this funny story about someone and the way they made turkey or ham — they always had to cut it off. And it’s like, well, yeah, because grandma’s pan was too small. That’s why we did it — to fit a bigger pan. And it became a family tradition. Until someone said, hey, why do we do this? Just get a bigger pot.

Audley: Exactly. Until someone said, hey, why are we doing this? Yeah. Just get a bigger pot. Right. It’s just about being curious.

The Gift of Curiosity: Staying Open to Life’s Possibilities

Gloria: And you know what, I’m going to ask you this now — usually I’ll ask at the end, but since we’re talking about being curious right now — what are you curious about right now in your life?

Audley: You know, it’s so — curiosity is probably one of my favorite topics. And I’ve joked many times and said that if I didn’t land on the Audacious Living Podcast, it’d be like the Curiosity Living Podcast. Because I think there are just so many wonderful benefits, so many positive offshoots that come from just maintaining a sense of curiosity. I generally just have a curiosity in people. And what’s really nice about that is that when you maintain a sense of curiosity, you’re not judgmental. You don’t go into a situation having the answers because you’re genuinely curious about, well, what is this about? And I think that opens up the door for so much — from a learning standpoint, an understanding standpoint, and just overall growth and development.

Audley: I just have a curiosity about life — and how people think and how people arrive where they come to and the journeys that got them where they are, because there’s so much that we can learn from one another. Life is like a path. We’re all on our own individual path. And what you’re doing on yours is yours, and what I’m doing on mine is mine. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t see what other people are doing and maybe incorporate something into what we do.

Audley: I use this analogy — it’s kind of like clothes. You can see someone in a really sharp suit and that looks really nice and well put together. But that suit doesn’t fit me. So I have to look at — okay, maybe I can get a suit like that. Maybe a different color. Definitely a bigger size. And so all of those things are consideration points. And with that curiosity, there’s a general excitement. The quality of life vastly improves when you have something to look forward to on a daily basis, something that you’re excited about. Think of that childhood feeling and the anticipation of Christmas. Imagine having that all the time.

Choosing Boldness When Life Gets Hard: Hills, Valleys & Joy

Finding Joy Even in the Middle of Difficulty

Gloria: Which brings me to a question — we want to be excited about life, but sometimes life throws us curveballs and lemons. How can you encourage someone who’s going through something right now — how can they still choose to be audacious and bold when life isn’t giving them what they really want?

Audley: Absolutely. And I think perspective is a really good thing. If you really think about life — I oftentimes use an analogy of hills and valleys. On top of the hill, we’re celebrating, we’re happy, there’s satisfaction, joy, peace, all the wonderful things. And but as life goes, there’s a dip. And sometimes you get into a valley. And the valley — it’s the icky stuff, the disappointments, the regrets, all the things that we don’t enjoy. So I talk about it being so important to find ways to get out of that valley and get there as quickly as you possibly can. And part of that is being very clear on knowing the things that motivate you and drive you.

Audley: It’s very possible to still have a sense of happiness even during difficult times. There’s something that can raise your spirits. I remember once a friend of mine — he was going through a very bad marital breakup. To him, it was a devastating thing. He loved family — that was the thing he was at risk of losing. But he has a huge extended family — cousins, aunts, all that stuff. And one day we went to a barbecue, and I was taking a group shot with him and a bunch of his family members. And as I’m taking the photo, I’m looking at him and he is just beaming from ear to ear. And after the photo, I went over and showed him. I said, look at that. Look how happy you are. This is supposed to be the most challenging and difficult point in your life — but you still have this joy.

Audley: And so I’d say to people — be very clear on recognizing, yes, I’m going through this. But also — I can still experience moments of joy.

The BOLD Framework: A Roadmap for Audacious Living

Audley: I have something I call the BOLD Framework. It’s an acronym, and it’s about helping individuals live their best audacious lives. The B stands for Better Than Yesterday — and it’s built on the concept of continuous growth, constant improving. Yes, you climbed that mountain yesterday. Celebrate it. But there’s a bigger one tomorrow, so can you do better than yesterday?

Audley: The O stands for Outlast Adversity. Nothing in our lives lasts forever. And if we really stop and think about it — when it comes to getting past difficult things, we’re undefeated. I say we’re undefeated because we’re still here. The problem hasn’t wiped us off the planet. Sure, there might have been some pain, some change, some pivoting, some adjustment. But we got past the problem. That’s what outlasting adversity is all about.

Audley: The L stands for Live Your Truth — it’s about authenticity and being true to who you are. And the D is Disrupt the Norm. I often use the analogy of the Wright brothers. When they were trying to invent planes, the people around them must have been laughing at them going, what are you doing? It’s for the birds. You’re crazy. But they did it anyways. And now flying is an important part of our society.

Audley: And from that, you know — you can walk away with key lessons, key understandings, that will help you for the future. When we talk about being audacious, it’s really about those pieces. Understanding that this is the challenge. We hear all the time — what is this teaching me? And I get it. That’s a hard question to answer in the moment of difficult stuff. I want to be in my pain, wherever I’m at. But there is something to be gained. And time and perspective is a wonderful tool to help you identify those things.

Gloria: I love it. And I love that you have an acronym — because I do too. Mine is L.O.V.E. Yours is BOLD. It’s all perfect.

L.O.V.E. Meets BOLD: Two Frameworks, One Mission

Audley: So what’s L.O.V.E.? Tell me what love is.

Gloria: So love is — and I love that yours too are not just single words, because oftentimes people have single words. So mine aren’t either. The L is to Let Go and Let God. It’s really about letting go of limiting beliefs, letting go of all expectations, and just putting your faith in your higher self, if nothing else. The O is Open Your Heart to Receive — being open to new ideas, to help, even. The V is Value Your Uniqueness — because we are all individuals, and we all have wonderful value to give. And then the E is Embrace Your Divinity — realizing that you are a special person. You are divine. You are created in God’s image. So embrace that and go out there and be bold. Love yourself, learn how to love yourself — and then go out and be bold.

Audley: There you go. And what I love about your L.O.V.E. is that there isn’t an entry point — like you could start wherever you are. Oh yeah, absolutely. You can be wherever you’re at on your journey. And again, it’s so important because our journeys are individualized.

Gloria: Yeah, absolutely. Oh, oh, this is so good. I knew it was going to be — we’re just both out here helping people to live their lives and make it the best that they can be. So, one question I want to ask you — if you were to redesign your life your way today, what, if anything, would you change?

Redesigning Your Life: No Regrets, Full Ownership

Audley: Um. It’s not a cop-out — I don’t think I’d change anything. Because I needed every single experience to be where I’m at now. For example, it’d certainly be easy to say, hey, I wish I had a father growing up. I wish he was there. I learned to bike ride in my forties — my father didn’t teach me, I taught myself. So it’s really easy to say, I wish I’d done that sooner. But I think back and I oftentimes say that I learned so much from my father’s absence as well as his presence.

Audley: His absence taught me the kind of father I wanted to be. I really recognized the importance of being present and involved and engaged — I wouldn’t have had that appreciation to the same degree had he been in my life traditionally. And then through his presence, he taught me that it’s never too late to come back.

Audley: So I don’t have any regrets. There isn’t anything I wish didn’t happen. Things happened the way they should have. And the way I know that is because I’m in such a wonderful place in my life — not from a monetary or position or status standpoint. I’m talking about the sense of peace I live with. I live with joy and peace about everything I’ve done. I’ve owned every step, every decision on my pathway. And I don’t think I’d have it any other way, if I’m being quite honest.

Gloria: Well, that’s good. I appreciate that. And I think it’s a healthy way to be. I’ve seen people post on social media — if you could go back and do it over again, what would you do differently? And it’s like, well, yeah, I suppose there’s some things, but in hindsight, really — at the same time, it’s made me who I am today. Some of them were not pleasant to go through, but they taught me. They also built my resiliency, made me a stronger person.

Audley: Exactly. And if there’s listeners out there that didn’t know this, I want you to know now — we’re all going to have messy stuff happen to us. We’re all going to go through hard times. We’re all going to go through difficulties. That’s the reality of life. So now that we have that out of the way — we need to start equipping ourselves with things that help us deal with these messy, difficult, hard times.

Audley: And quite frankly, you can read all the books about being more resilient, listen to all the podcasts. But unless you’re really in the trenches, unless you’re really putting in those reps and gaining those lessons and insights, it’s just not going to happen for you. You’re going to have to go through it. But I can guarantee you — once you go through that, when you see it again the next time, you’re like, yeah, I’ve done this. Let’s do it again.

Gloria: Exactly. I remember once going on an extended bike trip. I was halfway through this cycling journey — I was trying to ride to Niagara Falls, like one hundred kilometers away. And I remember halfway through, I was like, oh my gosh. And I saw this hill and I’m like, I don’t want to climb this hill.

Audley: It was twenty-five hills behind you. What’s one more? Tell yourself you’re tired. Tell yourself you have to slow down. Tell yourself there’s exhaustion. Those things are all fine. But don’t tell yourself you can’t do it — because you already proved that you can.

Gloria: Oh, absolutely. And in fact, I had a mantra when I was helping my sister when she was going through cancer. And I would be kind of tired, but I’d just say, I have energy to spare. I have energy to spare. I have energy to spare. And it helped. It really did. It helped me get myself back going again because she needed me.

One Message for Women Over 50: You Are Already Enough

You Had It in You All Along

Gloria: Yeah, we could keep going all day on this. But if people take just one thing — especially for women over fifty — what do you hope that is?

Audley: Um, can I cheat and say two things? Because it’s hard to boil it down to just one. It’s very audacious of me to change your question, but there are actually two things. The first — I hope people understand that they are absolutely enough. I had everything I needed all this time. It just needed to be watered and nurtured and developed. And so each and every single one of us — we have it in us. It’s just a matter of unlocking it, turning on the light switch, igniting the flame. Whichever analogy works best — but you had it all along.

Your Story Can Change Someone’s Life

Audley: And then I also want people to understand the importance of our actions. My book is called Living Your Best Audacious Life Ever, and the subtitle is How Unleashing Your Inner Greatness Can Change the World. We have the ability to have a huge impact on those around us just through our actions. And when you recognize that you have that power, there’s a sense of responsibility that comes with it.

Audley: As a kid, I was — and still to this day — a big Spider-Man fan. There’s a line that Peter Parker was told by his Uncle Ben: with great power comes great responsibility. And we have that. I think we have a responsibility to one another to be our bold, audacious selves. Because when we do, we actually give others that permission to do the same.

Audley: A friend of mine was a long-time accountant — had gone to school, spent a lot of time in the corporate accounting world. One day we were just talking and she was talking about not feeling satisfaction in the role. She then told me about a woman she had heard of — doesn’t know this person — who was also in a similar situation, worked in corporate accounting, didn’t find satisfaction. So this woman had made a pivot and decided to leave the corporate world and focus on small businesses and non-profits. And she’s absolutely loving what she’s doing. She feels like she’s using her gifts where they’re meant to be.

Audley: I stopped my friend and I said — wait, I want you to pause for a second. That person who you don’t know, who you’ve never met, has inspired you. Because now you’re excited telling their story. Just imagine — I don’t know this woman either. But my guess is that when she was about to make that decision, she was uncertain. There was probably a little bit of fear. You’re leaving your career behind. And she undoubtedly felt fear, felt uncertainty, doubted herself. But guess what? She did it anyways. She made the leap and she found satisfaction. She found her greatness on the other side of that adversity. And it inspired you. And you’re telling me. And I’m telling Gloria’s audience on her podcast.

Audley: Stories have a way of impacting others — that ripple effect, right? It’s a way of inspiring other people. We just have to know first and foremost — it’s okay to feel the fear. It’s okay to feel uncertain. But do it anyways and see what happens. You never know what will happen. That’s why I don’t live with regret. I’ve tried everything. And that’s what I want to encourage people to remember — you have the ability in you. It’s there. It’s a matter of tapping into it. And once you do, share your stories. Because your story can inspire other people, and it can have an impact on others. And really what it does is give someone permission — hey, maybe I can do that too. That’s the power of being audacious. That’s the difference it makes.

Gloria: Love it, love it, love it, love it. Awesome. All right — if people want to know more about you, where’s the best place for them to do that?

Where to Find Audley & Connect After the Episode

Audley: BestAudaciousLife.com is my website. And my podcast, the Audacious Living Podcast — it’s six hundred plus episodes and ongoing. I told my son — two years ago we started on this track and I said to him, how long do you think it’ll take me to get to a thousand episodes? And we sort of calculated sometime in 2027. So the mission is to continue to go and continue to spread audacity. And this is far greater than just meeting a number. It’s recognizing that there’s a sense of responsibility — like Peter Parker, right — to help others, inspire others, and get everyone to jump on that train of audaciousness because there’s good things down the road.

Gloria: Well, thank you so much for sharing some of your audaciousness and your wonderful stories with our audience today. I know they got a lot of benefit out of it, and I’m very glad that we met. And I think I’m going to get a chance to maybe be on your show at some point too. So I’m looking forward to that as well.

Audley: You are. Can’t wait. Looking forward to it. Yeah. It’s going to be amazing. Thanks, Gloria. This is great.

Gloria: And I do want to thank all of you for tuning in and watching us today. I also want to make sure that you realize we are on NewRealityTV.com now. So I encourage you — if you’re listening to this podcast on Apple but want to actually see us — you want to be able to see what Audley looks like in person. He’s an amazing person, very enthusiastic, with a big bright smile. He’s a great guy. So thank you for listening today. Thank you for watching. And make sure that you go out and make today a great day. I’ll see you again next week.

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