We live in a world where everyone’s talking.
Nobody’s listening.
Scroll through social media. Watch the news. Walk into a meeting. What do you see? A bunch of people waiting for their turn to talk.
Hell, I used to be one of them.
When I started podcasting, I thought I was the one throwing out lifelines. Giving people a voice. Helping them tell their stories.
But I had it all wrong.
I wasn’t saving them.
They were saving me.
Because the truth is, it wasn’t the talking that changed me. It was the listening.

The Moment It Hit Me
There was this one episode—a Marine sat across from me, gripping his coffee like it was the only thing keeping him grounded.
"There was a night," he said, voice low, "where I sat in my truck outside a gas station, not sure if I was going to make it home."
I felt my stomach drop.
Because I had been in that same place. Same pain. Same silence. Same darkness creeping in.
And as he spoke, I realized—this wasn’t just his story. It was mine too.
How many people do we walk past every day, drowning in silence, carrying battles we’ll never see?
How many times do we nod along in a conversation, pretending to listen while we’re just waiting to respond?
That’s the problem.
We think connection happens when we talk.
It doesn’t. It happens when we shut up and actually hear each other

You Think You’re Listening? You’re Not.
Most people don’t listen. They pretend to listen.
They wait for their turn to jump in. They hear the first few words and start crafting a response before the other person even finishes their sentence.
And the worst part? They don’t even realize they’re doing it.
Studies show that we forget nearly half of what we hear because we’re too busy thinking about ourselves.
You ever had a conversation with someone who actually listens? Someone who locks in, absorbs every word, makes you feel like what you’re saying matters?
That’s rare.And when it happens, it’s unforgettable.

Listening Isn’t Soft—It’s a Damn Superpower
You think being a leader means talking louder? You think influence means having the best speech? You think respect is something you demand?
Bullshit.
Lincoln didn’t lead because he had the best speeches. He led because he listened before he spoke.
Mandela didn’t unite a broken country by talking over people. He did it by listening—by understanding the pain behind the words.
Real power isn’t in what you say.
It’s in what you hear.

Here’s the Science to Back It Up
If you think this is all just philosophy, here’s some cold, hard truth:
People who feel heard experience a 40% drop in stress. (Journal of Positive Psychology)
Active listening improves retention by 40%—which means most people forget half of what you say within minutes.
Leaders who listen are rated as significantly more effective. (Harvard Business Review)
Listening isn’t passive. It’s not weak. It’s not "soft skills."
It’s the difference between a good leader and a great one.
Between connection and isolation.
Between changing lives and just making noise.

So Here’s the Bottom Line
For too long, I thought my voice was my power. That if I just said the right thing, if I just told my story well enough, I could make an impact.
But that was ego talking.
The real impact came when I shut the hell up and listened.
And if you want to lead, if you want to connect, if you want to matter—try it.
Not half-assed. Not pretending. Not waiting for your turn to talk.
Actually. Listen.
Because when you do?
You’ll realize that the world’s been trying to tell you something this whole damn time.
And you’ve just been too busy talking to hear it. -Rush, CEO Prime Pitch Podcast Network Inc.
