Miracle Mentality with Tim Storey

Episode 17: Scott Clary—The Truth About Building Real Influence

Date: December 8, 2025
Guest: Scott Clary
Host: Tim Storey

Overview

This episode of Miracle Mentality features Tim Storey in a deep, authentic conversation with Scott Clary, host of the top-ranked “Success Story” podcast. The discussion centers on building genuine influence, the real attitudes behind successful content creation, the power of lived experience, and the importance of authenticity and purpose—not just in business, but as a foundation for personal fulfillment. Clary and Storey share hard-earned insights from their journeys, exploring actionable mindsets and the challenges of modern media, mentorship, and personal growth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Origin of Scott Clary’s Podcast and Influence

• Leverage Through Media:

  • Scott began his podcast to build personal and professional leverage rather than chase downloads or immediate returns.
  • Quote:

    “I did know and I did believe in building media and building media as leverage for whatever you wanted to accomplish in life.” — Scott Clary (04:40)

  • He drew inspiration from figures like Gary Vee and Naval Ravikant on the power of media.

• Intentionality Over ROI:

  • Emphasizes loving the process:

    “If I am able to do it for an unfair, extended period of time... I better enjoy it. I better be able to do it for 10 to 15 years without seeing immediate revenue or gratification.” — Scott (06:45)

2. Standing Out in a Crowded Podcast Landscape

• Content for the ‘Younger You’:

  • Scott advises content creators to make educational content that would have helped their five-year-younger selves.

    “Create it for the person five years ago. You. That's the content you create, and that's how I started this podcast.” — Scott (07:39)

• Grow With Your Audience:

  • As Scott evolved, so did his content, reflecting his personal journey with topics like work-life balance and health.

3. Secret Sauce: Authenticity and Individuality

• Owning Uniqueness:

  • Tim likens individuality to how Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder both create differently with the same tool.
  • Scott reflects on dropping the mask:

    “I couldn’t do it for a long enough period of time for it to be successful if I had to put on a mask... If I have to water myself down from my content, I should be in another business.” — Scott (11:31 & 11:44)

• The Evolution of Realness:

  • Successful content creators move from buttoned-up to fully authentic over time:

    “The ones that are successful and stick with it... they are themselves and they are 150% themselves.” — Scott (12:55)

4. Measuring Impact Beyond Numbers

• Meaningful Influence:

  • The scale of audience is only felt when standing in front of a live crowd.

    “Go step on stage in front of a thousand people and tell me that's not intimidating... you still have big impact.” — Scott (15:12 & 15:54)

• Vanity Metrics vs. Value:

  • Tim and Scott stress the importance of small, dedicated audiences over chasing follower counts.

5. Motives and Curiosity

• Larry King vs. Oprah Model:
  • Tim describes Larry King’s curiosity-driven interviewing versus Oprah’s purpose-driven, motivational focus.
• Scott’s Approach:
  • A blend of curiosity and practical self-help; showing how mindset underpins success in business and life.

    “I like to take the mindset of a successful person and show how that mindset is required to build a business, a relationship, or whatever you want.” — Scott (20:09)

6. Tactics, Mindset, and Lived Experience

• The Newsletter Strategy:

  • Scott emphasizes serving audiences by meeting them where they consume content, expanding from podcasts to the newsletter format (320,000 subscribers).

    “I'm gonna take that information, I'm gonna put it into a newsletter, I'm gonna send it to you on your preferred format.” — Scott (23:51)

• Lived Experience as Value:

  • His audience values advice that’s “lived”—not theoretical.

    “The reason why they like my content is because it feels like I've lived through it.” — Scott (25:05) “I feel like I can get a little bit of lived experience from somebody that has my best intentions in mind from behind my computer. It's a very beautiful thing that people say...” — Scott (25:57)

7. Challenges with Influence, Mentorship, and Accountability

• Frustration with Inaction:

  • Scott’s main irritation is people not taking action despite receiving direct advice:

    “I've given my exact podcast playbook… to roughly 50 people... I've had two people that have executed on that strategy.” — Scott (31:51) “That's frustrating and annoying as hell because if somebody gave me a playbook... and I just said, you know what? Too much work, too busy…” — Scott (32:40)

• Lack of Honor & Victimhood Culture:

  • Tim decries the lack of honor for knowledge, mentorship, and even self-respect:

    “There's a real lack of honor in the world today... how about honoring people that have done amazing things?... this whole idea, biblical idea is even honor your mother and your father.” — Tim (34:32)

  • Scott extends this to self-honor, seeing a growth in victim mentality and lack of personal accountability:

    “Everybody seems to want to be a victim. I don't get it. I wasn't raised like that... there's a lot of victim mindset and victim mentality. And it's just not honoring yourself...” — Scott (36:36)

• Tough Love and the Value of Directness:

  • They discuss the need to challenge people, even if it means being blunt or tough, to shake up complacency.

8. The Power of Core Values & the Future of Influence

• Respecting Yourself and Core Values:
  • Tim predicts Scott will help champion a dialogue on core values, a topic not emphasized enough today:

    “There’s not enough discussion about core values. That's what you're saying right there. And also respecting yourself enough to not just get by, but take real accountability for what's going on in your life.” — Tim (38:25)

9. Personal Nuggets and Final Thoughts

• On Agency:
  • Scott’s biggest realization is the importance of agency and extreme ownership:

    "Something good happens to me, great. If something bad happens to me, it's also my fault... I think the most frustrating thing is when someone asks for help... and they're in the same set of circumstances as when they asked..." — Scott (29:41–31:52)

• On Helping Others:
  • Both agree that influence comes with responsibility, and you never know what someone is truly going through, so be careful with your words.
• On Success:
  • Success, fulfillment, and the “miracle mentality” all stem from choosing to act with intention, accountability, and authenticity.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being authentic as a creator:

  “Just be yourself, live without regret. And I think that is—that is the path to true happiness and fulfillment.”
  — Scott Clary (13:37)

• On actionable accountability:

  “I've given my exact podcast playbook… to roughly 50 people that have asked... Out of, say, the 50 plus people, I've had two people that have executed on that strategy...”
  — Scott Clary (31:51)

• On value over numbers:

  “It didn't really hit and make sense to me until you start getting recognized or you start jumping on stage and you're like, oh, this is a room of 5,000 people. Yet a million people are listening to me every single month. Like, what the f? Seriously?”
  — Scott Clary (15:29)

• On lived experience:

  “It has to be lived... the reason why they like my content is because it feels like I've lived through it.”
  — Scott Clary (25:05)

• On lack of honor for information and mentors:

  “There's such a lack of honor for information. Like the fact that you gave these people this information, which was like, here, here's a gold mine. Go create something big.”
  — Tim Storey (34:32)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:08 | Scott joins; studio banter, authenticity about being oneself
• 04:18 | Scott’s motivation for starting a podcast and media as leverage
• 06:45 | How to pick your podcast lane and audience (“create for younger you”)
• 10:23 | Authenticity, “secret sauce,” and not putting on a persona
• 13:44 | Tim on fulfillment in acting; Scott on audience impact and the reality of influence
• 19:25 | Motives for interviewing: Larry King’s curiosity vs. Oprah’s purpose, Scott’s own blend
• 22:12 | The strategy and vision behind Scott’s newsletter
• 25:05 | Audience feedback: lived experience, authenticity, and responsibility of influence
• 29:41 | Scott and Tim on accountability, frustration with people not taking action
• 34:32 | Tim on the lack of honor in the modern age toward mentors, information, and self
• 36:36 | Scott on the rise of victim mentality and self-responsibility
• 39:42 | Tim’s story about being underestimated and the importance of respect
• 42:19 | Where to find Scott Clary and his content

Flow and Tone

The episode is candid, motivational, and at times, direct—mirroring the “miracle mentality’s” core message: stop settling and start living boldly. Both Storey and Clary balance tough love with practical advice and honest, lived wisdom. The conversation is lively, engaging, and peppered with storytelling and gentle ribbing—fitting for two accomplished communicators comfortable in their own skin.

For Further Engagement

• Scott Clary:

  • Podcast: [Success Story] (Available everywhere podcasts are found)
  • Newsletter: Substack (Over 320,000 subscribers)
  • Socials: @scottdclary

• Tim Storey:

  • Website: timstorey.com
  • Podcast: Miracle Mentality (Subscribe for future episodes)

Takeaway:
Real influence is built through lived experience, relentless authenticity, service, and honoring both the knowledge you gain and the people you share it with. The “miracle mentality” means not just dreaming big—but taking ruthless ownership, acting intentionally, and striving to help others do the same.