Summary4 min read

The Ryan Leak Podcast

Episode: Keep Going

Host: Ryan Leak
Date: June 21, 2026

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and motivating episode, Ryan Leak delivers a powerful reminder about the importance of perseverance and consistency in our personal and professional journeys. Drawing inspiration from the profound career of researcher Brené Brown, Ryan discusses the unseen years of dedicated work that often precede public success and encourages listeners to "keep going" even when progress feels invisible. The episode is filled with empathy, practical wisdom, and stories that resonate with anyone feeling discouraged or unseen in their efforts.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Story of Brené Brown’s Persistence

Ryan opens by sharing Brené Brown's journey: starting in 1989 as a 23-year-old clinical social worker researching shame—an unpopular and overlooked topic (01:00).
Key insight: For 21 years, Brené worked outside the spotlight, persisting with her research despite little recognition or support from her peers (01:59).
Her transformative 2010 TEDx Talk, “The Power of Vulnerability,” catapulted her work to fame, but it was the decades of unseen commitment that laid the foundation (03:12).
Brown’s work eventually revolutionized the way organizations discuss vulnerability and emotional courage (04:25).

2. The Illusion of Overnight Success

Ryan challenges the widespread worship of “overnight success” stories and reveals the reality behind them: “We see the TED Talk with 60 million views and think that’s where it started. But it didn’t start there” (05:01).
Brown's breakthrough was built on years of quiet, faithful work, not a single viral moment (05:19).

3. Faithfulness When No One Is Watching

Brené Brown’s most significant work happened “in a classroom nobody was watching, doing research nobody was reading on a topic nobody wanted to touch for 21 years” (02:38).
Ryan highlights the importance of persevering with the work in front of you, even when there is no visible result or acknowledgment (06:05).

4. The Ripple Effect of Dedication

Brown’s research redefined corporate culture: “Executives now are talking about vulnerability in boardrooms. Leaders are discussing shame in team meetings. Companies are building cultures around emotional courage. Things that were considered soft ten years ago are now considered essential” (04:54).
Ryan marvels at how quiet persistence has a long-term ripple effect, impacting far more than one might ever realize (06:21).

5. Encouragement for the Undervalued and Unseen

Ryan directly addresses listeners feeling unseen—teachers, pastors, parents, coaches, creatives, social workers, entrepreneurs (08:35).
He acknowledges how discouraging it is to work hard with little recognition or visible progress: “Maybe you’re a creative and your content gets like 12 likes, right? And it’s just so deflating” (09:22).

6. Faith Versus Validation

Sometimes, the results of your faithfulness become visible—a student returns, a client writes back, a child remembers your wisdom (10:15).
But often, you must trust your impact without external validation: “Sometimes you just have to trust that it’s happening anyway. Trust that the seeds you’re planting are taking root somewhere you can’t see” (11:01).
“Trust that faithfulness in the small is building something bigger than you realize. Trust that the right thing done for the right reason is never wasted, even when the results don’t show up on your timeline” (11:37).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Brené Brown’s dedication:
“She just kept showing up. She just kept researching. She just kept teaching. She just kept being faithful with the thing right in front of her.”
—Ryan Leak (06:18)
On unseen work:
“One woman’s research changed the vocabulary of an entire generation of leaders. But I have to wonder, what if she had quit in year seven? What if she had quit in year twelve, year nineteen?”
—Ryan Leak (06:53)
Encouraging those in thankless fields:
“Maybe you’re a teacher and your students just don’t seem to care... Maybe you’re a creative and your content gets like 12 likes, right? And it’s just so deflating.”
—Ryan Leak (08:52)
The truth about impact:
“Sometimes you get to see the difference you’ve made... But sometimes you don’t get to see it. Sometimes you just have to trust that it’s happening anyway.”
—Ryan Leak (10:10)
The episode’s central message:
“Keep doing the right thing for the right reason, and trust that it’s making a difference even when you can’t see it.”
—Ryan Leak (07:02)

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:55 – Setting up Brené Brown’s story and unglamorous beginnings
03:12 – The timeline from research to world impact
05:01 – Debunking the myth of overnight success
06:18 – The power of showing up consistently
08:35 – Encouragement for anyone feeling invisible or discouraged
10:10 – When you get to see your impact versus when you don’t
11:37 – Trusting in the unseen results of faithfulness
12:45 – Final encouragement: “Keep going”

Takeaway Message

Ryan Leak’s episode “Keep Going” is a motivational call to remain persistent and faithful in whatever you’re doing, regardless of outside recognition or apparent progress. Through the example of Brené Brown, Ryan urges you to trust the unseen influence of your consistent efforts. Whether you’re a teacher, a parent, a leader, or a creative, your work matters—keep going!

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Transcript1 lines

[00:01]
A
What's going on, my friends? Welcome back to the Ryan League podcast, where we love to keep things short and sweet for you each and every week. Today's nugget of inspiration is very, very simple in that I want to encourage you to keep going. Yeah, I want to encourage you to keep going. I heard a story recently that made me want to keep going, and I thought I would share it with you. In 1989, there was a clinical social worker that taught her first class at the University of Houston. And she was just 23 years old. She was paid in adjunct wages, and her research topic was shame. Not leadership, not innovation, not productivity. Shame. The thing that nobody wants to talk about at dinner, that is for sure. And it's definitely not something that people want to fund a research grant for. Her colleagues thought she was actually limiting her career studying. Shame was what some would consider academic quicksand. Nobody wanted to publish it, Nobody wanted to read it. Nobody wanted to sit in a conference room and discuss it. And for 21 years, she taught classes, conducted interviews, wrote academic papers, and built a body of work that almost nobody outside her department even knew existed. 21 years, that's not a season, that's a generation. And then in 2010, she gave a 20 minute talk in Houston called the Power of Vulnerability. And her name is Brene Brown. That Talk became a TEDx Talk. The TEDx Talk became one of the most viewed in TED history. That talk became a book. That book became five books. Those books became a Netflix special. The Netflix special became a podcast. The podcast became a research institute. The research institute became a licensed curriculum used by Fortune 500 companies, universities, and even the US military. Brene Brown, she didn't just give a good speech. She built an entire ecosystem. And speaking was at the center of it. But that ecosystem didn't start on a stage. It started in a classroom that nobody was watching, doing research that nobody was reading on a topic that nobody wanted to touch for 21 years, two decades. And I think about that timeline a lot because we live in a world that worships the overnight success story. We see the ted talk with 60 million views and think that's where it started. But it didn't start there. It started 21 years earlier with a 23 year old who believed her work mattered before anyone ever agreed with her. And here's the part that gets me. She didn't know. She didn't know the TED Talk was coming. She didn't know the books would land. She didn't know Netflix would call. She didn't know the military would use her curriculum. She just kept showing up. She just kept researching. She just kept teaching. She just kept being faithful with a thing right in front of her. And that's the nugget for today. Keep going. Keep doing the right thing for the right reason, and trust that it's making a difference even when you can't see it. Because here's the truth. Most of us will never get a TED Talk. Most of us, well, we won't write a best seller or land a Netflix deal, but that doesn't mean our work isn't creating ripples we can't see yet. Brene Brown, just so you're aware of just even just doing a lot of work in corporate America, she's literally shifted the entire conversation in business. I mean, executives now are talking about vulnerability in boardrooms. Leaders are discussing shame in team meetings. Companies are building cultures around emotional courage. Things that were considered soft 10 years ago are now considered essential. One woman's research changed the vocabulary of an entire generation of leaders. But I have to wonder, what if she had quit in year seven? What if she had quit in year 12, year 19? What if she. What if she quit at year 20? Because, you know, 20 is like, oh, I've been doing this 20 years, and maybe this thing just didn't work. I mean, that's just a long time wondering if your work matters. And I just wanted to record this podcast today because maybe. Maybe you're a teacher and your students just don't seem to care. Or maybe you're a pastor and your sermons feel like they're falling on deaf ears. Or maybe you're a parent raising a child and you can't tell if anything you're saying is landing. I don't know. Maybe you're a social worker and the system just feels broken beyond repair. Maybe you're a coach and your players just feels like your words are going in one ear and out the other. Maybe you're a volunteer and nobody notices the hours you put in. Maybe you're a researcher and your papers sit unread. Maybe you're a creative and your content gets like 12 likes, right? And it's just so deflating. Maybe you're building a business and the growth is so slow, it feels like regression. I just want to encourage you today. Like, I get it. I've been there. There have been so many years in my career where I was doing work that nobody saw and speaking in small rooms and creating content that didn't move the needle and pouring into people who it just seemed like nothing was making an actual difference. But here's what I've learned. Sometimes you get to see the difference you've made. A student comes back 10 years later and says, you changed my life. Client sends you a note and says, hey, that thing you said stuck with me. Your kids grow up and repeat the very wisdom you thought that they were ignoring. Those moments are beautiful. You should treasure them. But sometimes you don't get to see it. Sometimes you just have to trust that it's happening anyway. Trust that the seeds you're planting are taking root somewhere you can't see. Trust that faithfulness in the small is building something bigger than you realize. Trust that the right thing done for the right reason is never wasted, even when the results don't show up on your timeline. Brene Brown didn't need a TED Talk to validate 21 years of work. The work was already valid. The stage just gave the world a chance to catch up to what she had been doing all along. So now, whatever you're doing today, wherever you are in the timeline, I just want to encourage you to keep going. Keep teaching, keep researching, keep parenting, keep coaching, keep creating, keep serving. Keep being faithful with the thing in front of you. Because you might be one conversation away from a breakthrough you can't see coming. Or you might be raising the person who changes everything. Or you might never know the full impact of your life this side of heaven. Either way, keep doing the right thing for the right reason and trust that it matters. Because I believe it does. My friend. Thank you so much for listening to the Ryan Lee Podcast. If today's episode inspired you, I'd encourage you not to keep it to yourself, but share it with a friend. And hey, it would mean the world to me if you would take a moment to rate, review and subscribe. Your support helps us reach even more people with these short and sweet nuggets of inspiration. Thanks for being a part of the journey. We'll catch you next time.