Podcast Summary: The Russell Brunson Show

Episode: Heavy Is The Head That Wears The Crown...

Host: Russell Brunson
Date: February 6, 2019

Main Theme / Purpose

In this episode, Russell Brunson offers a raw, honest look at the pressure, stress, and responsibility faced by entrepreneurs—especially as they achieve more success and lead bigger teams or communities. He shares personal experiences of feeling overwhelmed in the run-up to major events, dispels the myth that success erases problems, and discusses the weighty concept: “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.” Russell draws inspiration from a quote by Garrett White and aims to encourage listeners who feel the burden of leadership, reminding them of the impact and importance of answering their calling.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Myth of Endless Entrepreneurial Happiness

Russell addresses frequent questions about whether he ever gets stressed or overwhelmed, given his positive public persona.
Acknowledges that difficult, exhausting days are common (“Today sucked. Today was really, really, really hard and brutal.” [02:40]).
Notes that social media often only shows the highlights, not the tough moments.

2. Success Doesn't Eliminate Problems—It Scales Them

When starting out, Russell believed that having money would solve all problems, only to discover that “the problems don’t change—in fact, they get bigger” ([04:22]).
Emphasizes that while challenges grow in scale, so too does a person’s capacity and ability to handle them.

Quote:
“No matter where you’re at on the spectrum, the problems don’t change. In fact, I feel like the problems get bigger. Luckily, if you’ve been educating and working hard, your ability to handle those new problems increases as well. But they don’t go away.”
— Russell Brunson [04:20]

3. The Enormous Pressure of High-Stakes Events

Shares detailed anxieties about upcoming responsibilities:
- Speaking at the 10X event for 35,000 people—more than triple the previous year’s audience ([06:30]).
- The high-pressure nature of live selling from stage, requiring precisely scripted presentations.
- Processing millions of dollars of sales in a single night and logistical complexities involved.
- Preparing to sell a $25,000 program in 90 minutes—something he’s never done before under such circumstances ([08:45]).
- Simultaneous, ongoing company responsibilities (over 250 employees, a rapidly growing organization).
- Deadlines for new projects, like the “Traffic Secrets” book manuscript ([10:10]).

Quote:
“How do you get people to the back of the room? How do you get their order forms? Processing $3.2 million in a night is not an easy process... This time we’re in front of three times as many people. I have no idea—I might bomb and only sell, like, $50 grand. Who knows?”
— Russell Brunson [07:00]

4. Growing Capacity For Leadership

Shares that although the scope and pressure of work increase, personal capacity also expands (“your capacity and your ability to handle it gets easier” [11:30]).

Quote:
“With great power comes great responsibility. Like, I feel that.”
— Russell Brunson [11:42]

5. Comfort and Perspective from Garrett White

Russell recounts reaching out to Garrett White for a quote that has given him comfort:
- “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.”
Reads Garrett’s elaboration on the quote, which emphasizes choice, calling, and courage ([13:00]).

Quote (Garrett White via text):
“There are few who can truly understand the pressure of being the king who is becoming the emperor... I have that feeling every day. Every day I have to remind myself of one thing: I chose this calling. Somehow, inside of that reality, the crown, although heavy, becomes doable.”
— Garrett White (as read by Russell Brunson) [13:50]

Garrett’s message reaffirms that the biggest responsibilities are shouldered by those who choose their calling, and this shared struggle creates camaraderie among leaders.

6. Empathy for Listeners with the Same Burden

Russell extends empathy to all listeners who are striving to grow or lead—recognizing that feeling overwhelmed is often a sign that someone is pushing themselves and answering their calling ([17:15]).
Reinforces the idea that while “everyone’s called, but very few are chosen,” even fewer step up to the challenge ([16:30]).

Quote:
“For those of you who are trying to do it, just like Garrett messaged me, I want to message you and say: I hear you. I understand the pressure. I understand the fear, the pain, the worry, the judgment—all the things.”
— Russell Brunson [17:22]

7. The Deeper Motivation Beyond Money

Shares a personal anecdote—his wife questioning why he continues despite already having enough financially ([19:00]).
Explains that his drive comes from the desire to impact others’ lives, not just his own success.
Points to the ripple effect of helping others, referencing Funnel Hacking Live’s thousands of attendees and the profound meaning behind such events ([19:40]).

Quote:
“If I can deliver and serve at my highest level, despite the fact that I’m tired and I’m nervous, then hopefully somebody else will do that as well…If I can change your life because of that, then you can change somebody else’s life, and that’s what makes it all worth it.”
— Russell Brunson [21:17]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown.” (Garrett White’s quote; discussed at [13:20])
“With great power comes great responsibility. Like, I feel that.” ([11:42])
“Everyone’s called, but very few are chosen. Very few actually step up to the calling and do it.” ([16:30])
“If you’re not going through stuff, it means you’re not trying… not pushing… not trying to grow.” ([17:10])
“You got to keep going, keep moving forward, because there are people out there whose lives you will change—if you don’t stop.” ([18:20])

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:00–02:40 — Russell introduces the episode; discusses perceptions of constant happiness.
03:00–05:20 — The reality behind entrepreneurial stress and problem scaling.
06:30–11:30 — Anxiety and logistics of high-stakes live events (10X, Funnel Hacking Live).
13:00–15:40 — The “heavy is the head” quote; comfort from Garrett White’s advice.
16:30–18:20 — Empathy for those feeling the pressure of leadership and calling.
18:45–21:17 — Motivation beyond money: Impact and the ripple effect of serving others.

Tone & Language

Russell is candid, vulnerable, and encouraging, speaking directly to the emotional ups and downs of leadership.
The tone is motivational yet empathetic—balancing honesty about challenges with reassurance and inspiration.

Final Takeaways

Leadership and entrepreneurial success come with increasing challenges and responsibilities, not fewer.
The weight of the crown—responsibility, fear, judgment—never disappears, but one’s capacity to manage it does increase.
Empathy, community, and a sense of calling are vital supports for those who choose to lead.
The effort and stress are ultimately meaningful when considered in terms of impact on others—and on the ripple effect of empowering people to step up as well.

If you’re struggling under the weight of your own “crown,” Russell reminds you: keep going, your work matters, and you’re not alone.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Hey, good morning, everybody. This is Russell Brunson. Welcome to the Marketing Secrets podcast. As I record this, we are less than a month away from funnel hacking live. We're less than a week away from 10x, and I feel a little stressed, overwhelmed. I want to share something cool that happened last night. So the big question is, how are entrepreneurs like us, who didn't cheat and take on venture capital, were spending money from our own pockets. How do we market in a way that lets us get our products and our services and the things that we believe in out to the world and yet still remain profitable? That is the question and this podcast will give you the answer. My name is Russell Brunson and welcome to Marketing Secrets. Alright, everybody. So I get people all the time who ask me, like, Russell, do you ever get stressed out? Russell, do you ever get overwhelmed? Russell, you're always so happy. In fact, my sister, I love my sister, she's the coolest in her church. There's people who know who I am and one of them asked him one day, like, is your brother always happy, always excited? And she's like, I don't think so. I think, you know, he's on Instagram. I'm sure he's usually excited, but there's times when he's not recording, he probably isn't as excited anyway. She told me that made me kind of laugh because obviously when you're tired and depressed and so rarely do you click record Instagram, like, hey, this sucks right now, but. Or you record a podcast, like, this is horrible, I want to die. Yet there are times that happens. In fact, it's funny because two days ago on Instagram I did, and it's on my Instagram thing and I, I was like, today sucked. Today was really, really, really hard and brutal. But you know, like one cool thing happened and it's funny, I got everyone messaging me like, are you okay? Like, like freaking out, cuz. And it just made me laugh because I'm like, there's a lot of times that are tough, especially like in the position I'm in right now. Like, it's funny how you know when you're. When at least for me, like when I was getting started and I was like, oh, if I just had money, then all my problems would go away. And then as I have money, I'm like, man, if I didn't have as much money, all my problems would go away. And it's like, no matter where you're at the spectrum, the problems don't change. In fact, I feel like the Problems get bigger. Luckily, hopefully, if you have been educating and working hard along the way, your capacity and your ability to handle those new trials and troubles and issues and problems increases as well. So you're able to handle it. But they don't go away. In case anyone's wondering, like, I'm just trying to make money. So these problems, problems go away. They don't. So there's a spoiler alert for you, but they're there. And it's hard. And right now, in the season of my life and of this year, it is insanely hard. I look at, we've got two big events. We have the 10x event, which is happening in a week from now. I'm gonna be speaking in front of 35,000 people. And you might be thinking, oh, Russell, it's easy. Just show up and just do your thing. But it's like, no, you don't understand what goes into speaking. Period. Speaking is. I mean, if I was gonna go and just deliver a keynote, that's one thing I don't stress about those, like, when I'm going to sell, like, there's a ton of stress because there's so much you have to choreograph. Like, you have to create. You don't just give a presentation. Like, every word is scripted in the presentation. To be able to get somebody to break their false belief patterns so that you can actually serve them. And then they're going to stand up and run the back of the room. And then you got to coordinate. Like, how do you get people to back the room? How do you get their order forms? Like, processing $3.2 million in a night is not an easy process, as we learned last year. You know, this time we're in front of three times as many people. I have no idea. I might bomb and only sell like 50 grand. Who knows? Which would actually be nice because then it wouldn't be as stressful. But right now, you know, let's say we have three times as many people. Let's say we just double how many sales we get. I mean, that's $6 million in sales, which process in a night with a whole bunch of people in hotel room. Like, that's not an easy task. How do you do that? How do you coordinate it? How do you. And there's so much stress that goes into that. And then this year, and I'm not only speaking once, Grant's asked me to speak twice. I'm speaking day one, where I'm selling click funnels, and day two, I'm selling a $25,000 thing. Now, how many of you guys have ever sold a $25,000 thing in 90 minutes? It is not easy. I've never done it like a Funnel Hacking Live. We usually have a coaching offer at the end, but it's a four day process to get people warmed up and build rapport and all those kind of things before you sell them that. So I've got to figure out how to write a pitch and write a script to sell a $25,000 coaching program in 90 minutes, which is not an easy task in front of 35,000 people. And if I fail, like, everybody's watching me. Ah. And then there's this added thing of like, I can tell you all the stress. I don't want to tell you all, but like, anyway, there's. There's so much behind it. And then like, I'm focusing all this effort on that and knowing that like in three weeks after that Funnel Hacking live streaming, I've got six presentations of my own I still have not started on for Funnel Hacking Live. And it's like, oh my gosh. And then Traffic Secrets, the manuscripts due April 1st. And like, I'm not going to lie, I've got the outline and I've done an event. So I've thought through this stuff like pen to paper, like, I'm not even close. And so I'm in a state in a season right now where I am feeling insane amounts of pressure. And on top of that, we're rebuilding the 2 comma Club X coaching program and then we're building structure our company, we're still growing. And oh, by the way, on the side, I'm running a $100 million a year company with 250 plus employees that is blowing up at all the seams, right? We're hiring insane amounts of people all the time. And like, it is a lot. And I'm not telling you that. Feel bad for me. Like, don't, Please don't feel bad. Like, I feel really good this morning, actually. I'm feeling really, really good. But I'm telling you this just to know that like, for those of you who are like, it's all sunshine and roses. It gets easier and easier. It doesn't. But, but your capacity and your ability to handle it gets easier. And that's the thing to understand. Like with big, what does Spider man say? With great power comes great responsibility. Like, I feel that. And so anyway, last night I was messaging Garrett White because I heard him say a quote a bunch of times and I was like, I want, like, can you tell me that quote again? And I'm gonna see if it'll let me switch off my recorder here and read this while it's still recording. I'm gonna try. It might cut out, but let me see if I can if it'll work, because it meant the world to me. Alright, looks like it's still recording. Cool. So the quote Garrett sent me, it says, heavy is the head that wears the crown. And, oh, like, for me, just that phrase gave me comfort. Knowing this, like, am I doing everything wrong? But it's like, no, heavy is the head that wears the crown. And then Garrick wrote back. He said, I hear you, brother. There are few who can truly understand the pressure of being the king who is becoming the emperor. You got this? I have that feeling every day. And every day, I have to remind myself of one thing. I chose this calling. Somehow, inside of that reality, the crown. Although heavy becomes doable. Many are called, but few are chosen. To be chosen is a calling from God. In my world, we are all called, but only the brave have the courage to choose the calling. You, my brother, are one of the few. It's an honor to know you. It's an honor to follow you. It's an honor to go to war with you in front of 35,000 people. I've chosen my calling. You have chosen your calling. I see you. Thank you for choosing all in. You made it more doable for me to do the same. The end. Clap, clap, boom. Those words, like, I don't know if Garrett will ever listen to this, but those words meant the world to me last night. And it gave me the ability to pause for a minute and to stand back up and to get back to work. And so I want to share with you guys, because I know all of us are going through stuff. If you're not, it means you're not trying. You're not pushing. You're not trying to grow. You're not trying to follow the calling that's been given to you. Like you said, everyone's called, but very few are chosen. Very few actually step up to the calling and do it. And so for those of you who are trying to do it, just like Garrett messaged me, I want to message you and say, I hear you. I understand. I understand the pressure. I understand the fear. I understand the pain. I understand the worry, the judgment, all the things that happened when you decided to answer that calling and to step up to the plate and to pursue it and to do it despite all the odds, despite the Fact that most of us are probably going to fail, yet we stand up anyway. And why? It's because we've heard the calling, we believe in it, and we're going to do it. And so for all you guys out there who are feeling that pain, I just want you to know that I hear you, and I have empathy for you. With that said, it doesn't give you permission to stop. You got to keep going, keep moving forward, because there's people out there whose lives you will change, and if you don't stop. And that's what makes it all worth it. That's why I'm killing myself. It's why when my wife asks me, like, why are you doing this? We have enough money to stop. And I say, it's not about the money. Like, there are people. There's people in that audience who I'm gonna be able to affect with my message, with my words. And if I can do that, how many people can they affect? That's why I'm doing Funnel Hacking live. We have 4,500 people coming to Funnel Hacking Live this year. It's insane, right? The effort, the energy that goes into producing that, like, not. Not, like, let alone the event, but the selling of the tickets. Like, it's not an easy process. That's $4.5 million in sales and just ticket sales alone, right? Like, that's the effort that goes into selling that much tickets is not easy. Like, so why do we do it? Like, it's because the impact. Like, I'm looking. I'm at the office, and I'm looking through the window, and I can see on the screen with big TV that plays footage from Funky Live, and I'm, like, looking at the people jumping and the things happening and the people on stage, and it's like, that's why we do it. I know that if I can keep going, it's gonna give someone else the ability to keep going. I know that if I can get up even though I'm tired, someone else is gonna get up even though they're tired. If I can deliver and serve at my highest level, despite the fact that I'm tired and I'm nervous and I'm scared and I have fear, then hopefully somebody else will do that as well. And if I can do that, then I know that you can do that. I know that if I can change your life because of that, then you can change somebody else's life, and that's what makes it all worth it. So with that said, thanks so much for listening. You guys, if you're having tough times, I hear you take a little bit of break and stand back up and let's get back to work. Alright, thanks guys. Appreciate you all and hopefully I will see you at Funnel Hacking Live in a couple weeks. Thanks so much guys and I'll talk soon. Would you like to see behind the scenes of what we're actually doing each day to grow our company? If so, then go subscribe to our free behind the scenes reality TV show at www.funnelhack tv.