The Matt King Show | Ep. 036: Solo Episode — This ONE Word Shift Changed Everything For Me In 2025

Podcast: The Matt King Show
Host: Matt King
Episode: 036 – Solo Episode: This ONE Word Shift Changed Everything For Me In 2025
Date: November 25, 2025

Episode Overview

In this special solo episode, Matt King reflects on the past year—2025—pulling out his most powerful lessons and personal revelations as both a leader and a father. With the new year approaching (Matt starts his new year on December 1st), he steps back to honestly share the transformations, mindset shifts, and hardships that shaped his journey. Through stories about his family, business challenges, and moments of vulnerability, Matt explores how a single word—“tolerate”—and what we allow in our lives, can shape our culture, our energy, and our ability to feel joy. The heart of the episode is about reclaiming authenticity, courage, and surrender in a year that didn’t go to plan.

Matt distills his year into four core lessons about culture, energy management, the nature of courage, and ultimately, surrendering to what life presents.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What You Tolerate Becomes Your Culture

[03:00 – 15:30]

• Personal Reflection: Matt begins with an anecdote about watching his six-year-old daughter perform bravely on stage—sparking reflection about his own lack of courage and how his values had become blurred.
• Defining Culture Beyond Business:

  “What we tolerate becomes our culture. Now, this isn’t just in a business setting… It’s everywhere, in all parts of our life.” (04:30)

• Slippery Slope of Tolerance: Matt describes how small things—be it bad dietary habits or overlooked behaviors—creep into everyday life and, over time, define what is normal.
• The Need for Audits:
  • Advocates for regular “time audits” and “energy audits” to become aware of what you’re unconsciously allowing.
  • Example: Feeling burned out and frustrated after tolerating poor performance, lack of discipline, and avoidances of hard conversations.
• Actionable Insight:

  "The first step in change... is first awareness. We must first recognize there is a problem, that there’s an opportunity." (09:01)

2. Making Money Is a Skill, But Keeping Energy Is the Game

[15:30 – 31:20]

• Chasing the Wrong Scoreboard: Matt admits he spent much of 2025 focused on financial metrics, only to find himself burned out and emotionally drained.
• Energy Over Wealth:

  “Making money is a skill, but keeping energy, that’s the game. And that’s what truly matters.” (21:48)

• The Power of ‘No’:
  • Observes that saying yes too often—especially to things that aren’t “full body yeses”—erodes energy and happiness.
  • Commits to saying “no” more often, embracing brevity and honesty:

    “The beautiful part about no is it’s a complete sentence. You can just say no.” (27:08)

• Role Models: References successful leaders—like Dan Dapani, Sahil Bloom, and David Osborne—who grew through strategic nos, not yeses.
• Quote Highlight:

  "Money is the scoreboard. But without energy, you can't play the game." (28:45)

3. Courage Is Quiet and Honest

[31:20 – 48:00]

• The Bravery of a Child:
  • Shares a deeply personal story about his daughter Rylan choosing to sing at a GoBundance event in front of 300+ people in Banff, Canada.
  • Details the behind-the-scenes anxiety, both for Rylan and himself as a father.
• Redefining Courage:
  • Contrast between performative (loud) courage and true (quiet, honest) courage.

    "Courage isn’t loud. Courage is honest." (41:50)

• Memorable Parenting Moment:
  • Rylan’s confession:

    “She had the courage to share with me how she was truly feeling, that she was nervous, but she was going to do it anyway, that kings are brave, which is one of our core values.” (43:05)

• Personal Vulnerability:
  • Matt describes his long-standing habit of hiding anxiety, pretending to be okay, and realizing that his daughter’s honest self-expression is a model for true courage.

    "I never had the courage to tell people how I truly felt. People would ask me, 'Are you nervous?'—'No, I'm good.'" (45:33)

4. The Ultimate Lesson: Surrender

[48:00 – end]

• A Year That Didn’t Go as Planned:
  • 2025 brought external challenges (interest rates, market anxiety, global instability).
  • Despite goals unmet, Matt finds gratitude in the unexpected difficulties and the growth they sparked.

    “Maybe the true meaning of life isn’t the rewards. Maybe it’s just the journey... Maybe it’s just the gift and the opportunity to truly surrender.” (51:47)

• Letting Go of Control:
  • Realizes the importance of surrendering to what cannot be controlled—relinquishing responsibility for others’ happiness and focusing on choosing happiness for himself.
• Self-Reflection Question:

  "What lesson is life showing you or teaching you, but you're too busy to even hear?" (53:20)

• Wrapping Up: Expresses immense gratitude for his family, team, and listeners—grounding the entire solo episode in humility and heartfelt appreciation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Culture:

  “What we tolerate becomes our culture… everywhere, in all parts of our life.” (04:30)

• On Awareness:

  “The first step in change… is first awareness. We must first recognize that there is a problem, that there is an opportunity.” (09:01)

• On Saying ‘No’:

  “The beautiful part about no is it’s a complete sentence. You don’t have to say no, but… no justification, no reason, no logic—just no.” (27:08)

• On Energy as the True Game:

  “Making money is a skill, but keeping energy, that’s the game. And that’s what truly matters.” (21:48)
  “Money is the scoreboard. But without energy, you can’t play the game.” (28:45)

• On Courage:

  “Courage isn’t loud. Courage is honest.” (41:50)
  “Rylan taught me… that courage is honest and courage is quiet. You don’t have to pound your chest. You don’t have to sing from the mountaintops. You have to stand confidently, quietly and honestly in your thoughts, your feelings, your emotions.” (47:38)

• On Surrender:

  “Maybe the true meaning of life isn’t the rewards. Maybe it’s just the journey... Maybe it’s just the gift and the opportunity to truly surrender.” (51:47)

• On Life’s Lessons:

  “What lesson is life showing you or teaching you, but you’re too busy to even hear?” (53:20)

Timestamps

• 00:00 — Story about Rylan’s courage on stage; setting up the reflection on 2025
• 03:00 — Lesson 1: What you tolerate becomes your culture
• 15:30 — Lesson 2: Making money is a skill, but keeping energy is the game
• 31:20 — Lesson 3: Courage is quiet and honest (Rylan’s performance story)
• 48:00 — Lesson 4: Surrender—accepting lack of control and embracing the journey
• 53:20 — Final reflection and personal question for listeners

Tone & Language

Matt’s tone throughout the episode is vulnerable, open, and self-reflective, with moments of humor and fatherly pride. He speaks with empathy both for himself and the audience, inviting listeners into a candid exploration of what really matters in life and business. The language is accessible, relatable, and interspersed with memorable, journal-ready maxims.

For Listeners

This episode is for anyone wrestling with burnout, chasing the wrong metrics, or hungry for permission to reset. Matt’s stories and candor offer both practical steps (like time/energy audits) and deeper reminders about awareness, boundaries, authenticity, and accepting what life brings. It’s a soulful guide for closing out a tough year and realigning for what matters most.