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Welcome to do this, not that, the podcast from marketers. We share quick tips, things you can do right now, and then we add a little bit of chaos at the end of every episode. We also keep it short, like this intro. Let's check it out. We are back for Ask Us Anything from the do this not that podcast is our short episode where all week long we get in questions, we get in work questions, we get in ridiculous questions. We try to tackle one of each. If you want to ask a question, that'd be awesome. Just go to jschwetelson.com there's a button that says podcast. Another one that says Ask us anything. We love questions. It can be wild, ridiculous, doesn't matter. Let's jump into it, though. Let's do the work question first. We got a question from Stacy from Sarasota, Florida. I have never been to Sarasota. I've lived in Florida for over 30 years. I'm on the east coast, Boca Raton. And I feel like, stacey, you're probably nice because nice people live in Sarasota. I live in Boca Raton, where everybody's obnoxious, myself included. Bunch of former, like, Northeastern horrendous people. That's why I'm not allowed to go to Sarasota, because I'm horrendous. Anyway, you're not, though. Stacy, what's your question? Jay, I just moved into marketing after a career in a totally unrelated field. I feel like I don't have the right background and won't be able to catch up and be a real marketer. Any advice on how to rapidly get better at this marketing stuff? All right, well, super fair question, but the reality of it is you're not moving into becoming a cpa. You're not moving into becoming a lawyer or a doctor or anything that requires a really serious degree. No offense to all the marketers out there. I don't care if you got certified in whatever. Who you're kidding. This ain't that. All right, so, Stacy, you can do this. You'll figure it out. And you're probably better than the majority of marketers that are out there right now, because the majority of marketers out there right now are just following what they've learned from the last 20 years and they have no new ideas. So you're probably going to crush everybody. But more important than that, okay, in general, what you are really doing is this idea of negative self talk. And this is something we all, every one of us, myself included, we need to stop doing. It doesn't matter what it is, I had this early on in my career as well, and we all have done it, right? I would say to myself, I'm not smart enough to do this at the start of my career. I. I'm too young, okay? I don't know the right people. I. I'm not very smart. I don't have the right background. I'm not technical enough. I'm introverted. I'm scared to publicly speak 400 other things, all right? And then in my head, in all of our heads, we all do this. We. Maybe we don't say it out loud, but we put it in our heads and we put it. We say it on repeat nonstop, right? And negative self talk is something you wind up actually buying into. It's like, okay, when I go out to dinner, when my wife makes dinner plans for us because I never make the dinner plans. We wind up going to dinner with somebody she's friends with and I have to sit next to the guy, the husband or whatever, of, of of her friend, okay? And a lot of times the husband, I didn't pick this dude. I don't even like the person, okay? And the dude winds up like, like explaining cryptocurrency to me and just saying all this weird stuff that I don't understand that I could care less about. And then he'll tell me about the fact that he likes bourbon and he had this life changing bourbon. I don't even know what he's talking about. But you know what? By the end of it, I'm convinced. I'm convinced I should move my 401k to like a bitcoin or something because this clown of a human has convinced me and I've bought into something I didn't even think was possible, right? And this is the same thing as negative self talk. We buy into garbage. That inner voice that you have that, oh, I'm moving into this marketing role, I don't know anything, Maybe I shouldn't even be in this role. That inner voice is a liar. It is. And it crushes your confidence in everything that you want to do. And you know what? You're gonna figure it out. Nobody's ever ready to. To do anything. I cannot tell you how many things in my career I have started and have failed. Businesses I've started and failed ideas I've invested, started and failed, but every single one of them, okay, gets me closer to, like, something that actually works. This idea of negative self talk is not just annoying. I did some research on this, okay? UCLA did this study and they actually found in their neuroscience research that repeated negative thinking actually strengthens neural pathways. Ooh, fancy words for fear, self doubt, anxiety. Basically, the more you run those I'm not good enough scripts in your head, the more your brain defaults to them, even when they're not true, okay? And this is dangerous, dangerous stuff. So this idea of you saying stuff. Well, I'm new this field. I can't do it. Maybe I shouldn't even be here. Anything else out there that anybody's like, saying to themselves, this idea that they can't do something, all right? It's absolute trash, Garbage. So how do I shut it up? How do I shut up? Negative self talk in my mind. Because we all have it, all right? We all have it. Here's what I do. Every single time. You're like, this is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. All right? In my mind, I name my inner critic, okay? So whenever I'm saying something negative about anything to myself, that I can't do it. I'm not qualified. I don't even know how to do it. Who cares? I name that thing that. It's like, believe it or not, I name it Ass Clown. I do. I name it Ass Clown, which is the stupidest thing in the world. I know. But anytime something pops into my mind, I've been doing this forever, and Ask Clown starts running its mouth in my head, okay? I literally say. And sometimes if I'm, like, outside just walking by myself, I'll actually say it out loud because. But I'll say it in my head. And I know this sounds so ridiculous. I say, not today, Ass Clown. And. And it's a trigger for me to stop. And I stop thinking like that, and I move on. Now, I'm not saying, listen to this episode and name your inner voice, Ask Clown. You can feel free, okay? But that's what I did. And this oddly works very, very well for me, right? Because you need to address the fact that you know it's not real what you're saying to yourself. And then you need to say, okay, I'm going to go ahead and move forward. All right? So the next time Ask Clown shows up, okay, you say, not today, Ask Clown. Not today. What am I talking about? I have no idea. All right, let's get to the ridiculous question. This is a ridiculous episode. I don't know what I just said. All right, here's the ridiculous question came in from James from Seattle, Washington. All right, James, what do you got? Oh, this is way easier. Jay, what are the best Movies ever. Loaded question. All right, I'm going to lay it on you here, and I'm going to lose. A lot of listeners don't actually care. Here's what I got for you, right? Best movies ever. Mean Girls. Yes. If it's not in your top list, you are a tool and you're wrong. Ready for another one? Boomerang with Eddie Murphy. You haven't seen it. It's fantastic. Great, great. Love Eddie Murphy. Very funny. Now we're gonna do a hard turn here. Rocky 1 through 4. Love Rocky movies. 1, Rocky 5 is not really a movie. If you have never seen Rocky, I want you to spend time watching 1 through 4. If you don't like them, I unfollow the show. I don't even know what you're talking about. Then I would say old school with Vince Vaughn. Love that dude. Straight up. One of the funniest movies ever. Old school. And then if I had to pick superhero, I may have said this previously, but Iron man, number one, greatest superhero movie of all time. And then finally I would go, breakfast Club. These are the greatest movies of all time. If you don't agree, you. You have no actual credibility in the world of movie picking. And that's my hot take there. So once again, this has been a seriously bizarro podcast episode. It's the first time you've ever listened. You're like, what just happened? Super fair. If you want to follow the show and you give it a review, it circulates the show so more people can hear about me talking about Boomerang, which is really weird. And yeah, keep it real Later. You did it. You made it to the end. But wait, the party is not over. Listen, I want to keep hanging out. Subscribe to this podcast and if it wasn't the worst podcast you've ever listened to, give it a five star review. Why not? But you know what? I want to do even more with you. Go to gurumediahub.com and we can partner there. You can find out about all of our free events, all of our stuff, and if you're epically bored, go to jschwedelson.com and we could stay connected. You could find my newsletter and everything else I got going on. Thanks for being here and hope you subscribe.
Podcast: Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson
Episode: Ask Us ANYTHING: Stop Believing Your Inner Critic 🎯 | Ep. 439
Date: October 31, 2025
Host: Jay Schwedelson (presented by GURU Media Hub)
This episode of "Do This, NOT That!" tackles audience-submitted questions in a snappy, conversational style. Jay addresses a listener's concern about imposter syndrome when transitioning into a new marketing role, shares unconventional but practical advice to silence the inner critic, and wraps up with a rapid-fire take on the greatest movies of all time. The episode seamlessly blends actionable marketing wisdom with humor and relatability—a signature move from Jay.
[00:40 – 09:30]
Stacy’s Question: Stacy from Sarasota, FL, wrote in worried about her unconventional background moving into marketing and feeling inadequate compared to long-time marketers.
Jay’s Reassurance: Jay pushes back on the “gatekeeper” mentality in marketing, emphasizing that the field doesn’t require the same formal credentials as law, medicine, or accounting.
Fresh Perspective Advantage: Newcomers with diverse experiences often outperform those who have become stagnant, relying solely on outdated tactics.
Everyone Feels Like an Imposter: Jay normalizes feelings of not being good enough by sharing his own early career doubts, such as being too young, not smart enough, or lacking connections.
Comparing Inner Critic to Outside Influence: Jay illustrates how easily people are influenced, comparing negative self-talk to being convinced by a random dinner guest to invest in cryptocurrency.
Scientific Backing: Recounts a UCLA study showing how repeated negative thinking actually alters brain pathways, reinforcing self-doubt and anxiety.
Actionable Solution – Naming the Inner Critic: Jay shares his own quirky but effective ritual: naming his inner critic “Ass Clown” to externalize and shut it down.
Encouragement to Others: He urges listeners to try naming their own inner critic (the name is optional!) and to assertively dismiss that negative voice.
[10:00 – 12:30]
James from Seattle asks: Jay, what are the best movies ever?
Jay’s Unfiltered Top Picks:
Jay’s Signature Humor: An unapologetic delivery, bold opinions, and the mixing of movie genres show off Jay’s irreverent style and establish camaraderie with listeners.
Jay’s delivery is fast, informal, engaging, and loaded with hard-earned wisdom and memorable one-liners. He delivers a serious message about overcoming negative self-talk (especially for newcomers in marketing), then packs in humor to keep things light and relatable.
Actionable Takeaway:
Stop believing your inner critic—give it a silly name, refuse to listen, and move forward confidently. Your unconventional background is your competitive edge in marketing, not a detriment.
Entertainment Bonus:
Jay’s unapologetic movie list serves up a humorous palate cleanser and adds to the podcast’s approachable, every-marketer style.