The Real Work Is Inside

From Panic Attacks to Power Moves — Why Belief Is the Root Cause of Every Result

SPARK Insights by Coach Reg — Issue #0030

It’s Thursday…two notes in a week from me, but as I promised you, it’s always for a good reason. I think this ties in so directly to yesterday’s issue, I wanted to send while it was fresh.

BTW…as this newsletter grows, I wanted to be sure people know that all of the newsletters I’ve published are available here: https://sparkinsights.beehiiv.com/

Some are time-sensitive, but I try to write these to be time-less. I get a lot of positive feedback on issues each week, so I know there’s something for everybody in that library :)

Today, I wanted to share snippets from a conversation I had with Christian Brim on The Profitable Creative podcast a few days ago. We covered a lot — coaching, fatherhood, money, ego, panic attacks, and why scaling a business has nothing to do with hustle — and everything to do with what you believe.

The most important insight?

You can’t change the fruit until you address the root.

And for most creative entrepreneurs, the root isn’t a business model problem. It’s a belief system problem.

In this episode, I shared:

  • Why I believe burnout is often a disguise for deeper misalignment. When I hit my wall years ago — dizzy, sweating, panicked — I wasn’t just exhausted. I was running a subconscious belief that my worth was tied to how hard I worked. That I had to prove I belonged. That rest was weakness. That belief, not just my calendar, was the real problem.

  • How hidden beliefs hijack your behavior. Think of your subconscious as running a million programs in the background. You may think you’re choosing to skip dinner for a deadline — but what’s really running is a childhood script that says, “Your value is in what you produce.” These beliefs live under the surface until they don’t. Until your body rebels. Your relationships crack. Your joy disappears.

  • Why most people come to me with one of two problems:

    1. Their external success is wrecking their internal life (relationships, health, peace).

    2. They’ve got a giant idea they’re scared to say out loud — and don’t know what to do next.

  • What great coaching actually is. It’s not teaching. It’s not mentoring. It’s not giving advice. Great coaching is about holding space, asking the right questions, and drawing out what’s already within you. Not plugging in someone else's solution — but revealing your own truth.

  • How money beliefs keep creatives stuck. Two that came up in our conversation:
    a. “If people aren’t paying me, I’m not valuable.”
    b. “I have to work hard to earn money.”
    These beliefs serve us — until they don’t. The hard part is admitting they’re even there. The real work is tracing back the origin story, rewriting it, and choosing a more empowering belief.

One of my favorite moments from the episode was this:

“Most people think coaching is someone giving you the answer. But real coaching is a mirror. The answer was always in you — you just needed space to see it.”

Upcoming Live Webinar: June 18, 2025 at 10:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM MT / 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM UK

Christian and I are teaming up again for a live conversation about money, mindset, and creative growth.

If you’re a creative entrepreneur who wants to:

  • Ditch the belief that hustle equals value

  • Clarify how to grow without burning out

  • Rewire your inner game to unlock your next level of profit

Then join us for a candid, interactive session. We’ll pull back the curtain and go deeper into the mindset shifts we explored in the episode.

Bring your questions. Bring your patterns. We’ll bring the mirror.

Until then, stay curious —

— Bob