Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Heart & Hustle Podcast
Episode: 458: Spoiler alert, Hustle Culture lied to us?! How our view of success has evolved over the years
Hosts: Evie McLeod & Lindsey Roman
Date: November 11, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Evie and Lindsey dive deep into how their personal definitions of success have shifted over the years as creative entrepreneurs, women of faith, and mothers. Prompted by a listener's question, they discuss childhood dreams, cultural narratives, hustle culture, and the core values that ultimately shape what success means to them. With humor, honesty, and heartfelt storytelling, they examine their journeys from chasing external validation and "success markers" to redefining fulfillment around meaningful impact, legacy, and faith.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Listener Prompt & The Big Question

• The episode is built around a listener (Mari)'s question:
  "What did your definition of success used to be, and what does it look like now?”
• Both hosts outline that this will guide a vulnerable look into the shifts in their values and perspectives.

2. Childhood Concepts of Success

• Evie’s roots in joy, peace, and freedom (04:31)
  • "My definition of success from a very young age always was joy, peace and freedom … feeling like I was doing something of meaning, of value and of purpose." — Evie [05:08]
  • Evie credits her parents for instilling a holistic view—success isn't an external accomplishment, but a life oriented around freedom, contentment, and impact.
• Lindsey’s desire for significance and fame (07:19)
  • She shares how watching Disney Channel made her want to be like Hilary Duff—famous, well-known, and "see my name in lights."
  • This early vision was less about the fame itself and more a reaction to small-town norms: "I resented the suburban Midwest, small town life ... That was how I viewed—I looked down... on people that did that and not breaking out into the world." — Lindsey [09:12]

3. Examining Inner Motivations

• Both hosts dig deeper into their motivations:
  • Lindsey: Beneath the surface desire for fame was "wanting my life to mean something," and using fame as a proxy for legacy and impact.
  • Evie: Her consistent theme was always about the life she wanted: “Is this going to lead to the life that I want?” [20:26]
• Notable banter about loving attention and performing:
  • “A core part of my personality is I love making people laugh. And maybe even deeper, making people feel something.” — Lindsey [12:03]

4. Transition to Entrepreneurship & Hustle Culture

• How goals and perception changed with business:
  • Lindsey: Starting a photography business in 2015 shifted her markers of success from “fame” to entrepreneurship landmarks: “I want to make a living supporting my family through my art ... I wanted to be like, well known, I want to be traveling, I want people to book me because of me.” [15:40]
  • Evie: Entrepreneurship continued to serve her big-picture vision—time and financial freedom to prioritize family.
• The Allure and Trap of Milestones:
  • Both hosts discuss being lured by external validation—Instagram followers, crossing revenue thresholds, accolades—and how fleeting or hollow that can feel.
  • “There was an element that I did attach some form of accomplishment ... to a goal like [hitting 10K on Instagram].” — Evie [22:23]
  • “When you hit it, you’re like, ‘Awesome—what’s next?’” — Evie [24:38]

5. Letting Go and Redefining Success

• Evie on purposely stepping back (25:36):
  • She shares about closing a business and downshifting her main company: “Intentionally setting those aside to allow space for motherhood ... there was a moment, no matter how hard I’d tried ... that felt like a hit to my identity ... there’s still a little bit of a surrender.” [25:36–26:11]
• Lindsey's full-circle transformation:
  • “The things I mocked when I was little ... that’s literally like how I view success now: the impact and the honor and the joy of being a wife, being a mom.” [28:49]
  • She highlights the irony that she has gotten many of her “flashy dreams” (travel, an audience, acclaim) but finds deeper fulfillment elsewhere.

6. Faith, Legacy, & Seasons

• Final reflections center on how walking with God sets the truest measure—not external achievements.
  • “A life walking with God and walking with him through each season that he’s called you to ... that could truly be the actress, the politician, the wife and mother, the entrepreneur.” — Evie [30:48]
• Recognizing the evolving nature of success with seasons of life:
  • “Your seasons will change ... the point of success ... am I walking with God? Am I walking in the calling that he has for me?” — Evie [30:48]

7. Role of Parents in Shaping Success (32:02)

• Evie closes with a call to parents:
  • “Don’t take lightly your role in shaping your child’s view of success ... Your perspective and perception of success and the way you teach that to your kids is so beautiful and so powerful." — Evie [32:02]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Evie: "My definition of success from a very young age always was joy, peace and freedom ... feeling like I was doing something of meaning, of value and of purpose." [05:08]
• Lindsey: "I think I wanted to be famous. At the time, that was the desire ... but beneath that was 'I want my life to mean something.'" [08:17]
• Lindsey (on changing goals): “If I don’t go do something famous, or like, well-known, then ... I am a failure. Therefore, everyone in my hometown ... is a failure. That’s how high school Lindsey viewed success.” [12:16]
• Evie (on business milestones): “There’s definitely elements and moments ... I’ve attached forms of accomplishment to goals like that ... but it’s easy to get caught up in little distractions.” [24:16]
• Lindsey (on society's influence): “People start treating you differently when you do things like ... I have five LLCs and I’ve hit seven figures ... you can get swept up into that if you don’t have that core foundational purpose and view of success.” [27:07]
• Evie (faith and calling): “The point of success, in my opinion ... is am I walking with God? Am I walking in the calling that he has for me in the season that he has for me?” [30:48]
• Evie (for parents): “Do not take lightly your role in shaping your child's view of success ... I’m very grateful to my parents on that.” [32:02]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [04:31-07:19] — Evie’s and Lindsey’s childhood definitions of success
• [08:17-10:14] — Lindsey’s teenage dreams and their deeper meaning
• [12:03-14:40] — Lindsey on performance, external validation, and evolving definitions
• [15:39-16:03] — Lindsey on translating dreams into an entrepreneurial context
• [22:23-24:41] — The lure and letdown of business/social media milestones
• [25:36-27:07] — Evie and Lindsey on letting go of hustle-culture markers
• [28:47-29:51] — Lindsey’s views coming full circle—honoring parenting, family, and a legacy
• [30:28-31:47] — Both hosts summarize faith-driven definitions of success
• [32:02-33:18] — The crucial parental influence in shaping life perspectives

Tone & Style

• Conversational & Candid: The episode moves naturally from humor (playful back-and-forth about theater and childhood memories) to raw honesty when sharing moments of personal struggle, identity, and change.
• Encouraging & Affirming: Both hosts emphasize the value of each listener’s journey, purpose, and unique season in life.

Summary

Evie and Lindsey share a refreshingly vulnerable conversation about how our definitions of success can be shaped by culture, childhood dreams, and personal ambitions—but ultimately, are most deeply grounded in purpose, faith, and legacy. Hustle culture and external markers often promise fulfillment, but the hosts' stories reveal a richer, more meaningful narrative: centering one's life around joy, peace, faith, and intentional impact, especially in the context of family.

From wanting to be Hilary Duff or a changemaker on a big stage, to finding deep joy in motherhood and building a legacy, Evie and Lindsey show that true success is less about "making it" in the world's eyes and more about stewarding the life and season God has given—one marked by contentment, service, and authentic connection.

For anyone struggling with hustle culture, comparison, or simply re-examining what it means to live a successful life, this episode delivers practical encouragement, laughter, and hope.