In this Believe Nation episode, Evan Carmichael opens with a brief "push through" mantra and hands the floor to a guest who recounts his toughest career moments, including a Broadway run of 3 Days of Rain with Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd, the cancellation of Kitchen Confidential, and the pressure of eight shows a week. The guest describes a "do‑or‑die" mindset that helped him survive those challenges. Carmichael then shares his own pivotal decision at age 19: choosing between a high‑paying corporate finance job and pursuing his entrepreneurial passion while earning only $300 a month. He explains the decision‑making framework he used—asking whether he would regret not taking the risk—and how that mental muscle has made subsequent choices easier. The episode concludes with a call‑to‑action, inviting viewers to comment on the hardest thing they’ve ever had to push through, reinforcing the overall message of perseverance and self‑belief.
Chapters
Good morning, Believe Nation! Today's message is push through. Over to you, Bradley Cooper. I wake up every morning, espresso keep me go.
Between those things, you also went to Broadway with Julia Roberts, with Paul Rudd, 3 Days of Rain. That must have been pretty special.
Yeah, it was a do-or-die moment for me, actually. I think Kitchen Confidential had gotten canceled. And I remember thinking, "If this doesn't work, maybe I'm not right for this business," I thought. There are moments in life when you think, "You know what? It kind of does matter if this fails, or you fail in it." And it was hard. It was the hardest thing I've ever been through by far. And I remember thinking, "If I can get through this," It may be as hard, but there's— it's impossible for it to be harder. And it's true. And it's— and I've had a lot of hard times since, and more jobs, you know, when you're like, wow, the pressure is so intense. But it always— I have such a foundation from 3 Days of Rain.
I was gonna say, 8 shows a week, right?
Not even that.
Actually, it was the rehearsal process, not to do— once we got on stage, it flew. And that, thank God. And I thought, oh, this feels right. But there was a, you know, and I was hard on myself, you know, but it was just Man, it was tough.
The toughest decision I ever had to make in my life, I've told this story a couple times, but I was 19 years old, I had opportunity to do my dream job, what I thought I always wanted, you know, $80,000, $100,000 starting salary, flying around the world, doing banking, doing consulting, the thing that I thought I always wanted to do versus being in this business where I was making $300 a month and not able to survive. And I really didn't know what the best option was. I really didn't know what I should do. And the thing that saved me, the thing that got me through was I didn't want to live with regret. I didn't want to look back 5 years later, 10 years later, 7 years later and think, "I really wish that I did that and I feel like I backed away because I was afraid." I didn't want that to happen. And I felt like, you know what, I can always go back and get another job in a year. It may not be the same job, it may not be the perfect job, but I could always go back and get another job. Where this business wouldn't be there for me in a year. And so I said, "I'm gonna give myself a year, and I'm gonna go out and try and do it." And I never looked back, and never had to go get a job. That was the hardest decision I ever had to make. It's easy to talk about it now and make it sound simple, but it wasn't. But every single decision I've had to make since has been way easier. I put it through the same framework, through the same thought process of, "Am I gonna regret this?" If I'm scared of doing something, Am I gonna regret not doing it? And as soon as I ask myself that question, as soon as I realize that I'm gonna say, "Yeah, I might regret this," then I have to do it. Even if it doesn't work out. It's great that this worked out, right? It's great that my entrepreneurial career worked out, but maybe it wouldn't have. I'd be okay with that too. I don't want to be okay with not knowing. I need to know. And so I think going through that really tough decision-making process helped me in all future decisions, and I think whatever you're going through right now, understand that it will help you for your future endeavors. So the next time something gets tough, you'll, you'll easily be able to walk through it where the people around you will crumble. And so the hardest decisions I've had to make since have been a lot easier because I've already gone through— I've already gone through in my mind the hardest decision I'm ever gonna have to make, and every other tough decision becomes easier and easier and easier and easier the more that I work that muscle. So the question of the day today is, I'm curious What's the hardest thing that you, you have ever had to push through? Leave in the comments below. I'm going to join in the discussion. Thank you guys so much for watching. Have an amazing day. I believe in you. I hope you continue to believe in yourself and whatever your one word is. And I'll see you again tomorrow morning for another shot of espresso. I wake up every morning, espresso keep me going.
