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The ROI of Investing in Your Health: Cliff Beach on Creativity, Autonomy, and Outpacing Burnout

The Relentless Pursuit of Winning Podcast

Release Date: 07/08/2025

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đŸ”„ Excerpt

“You either have big dreams, or you work for someone who does. There’s no third lane. Decide which one you’re in.”

 

⚡ TL;DR

Cliff Beach—musician, author, and creative entrepreneur—joins Rick Meekins to dismantle the starving artist myth and expose the real numbers behind betting on yourself. From building a creative career without starving, to managing energy and priorities as you age, Cliff shares why investing in your health isn’t just smart, it’s mandatory if you want to scale anything that matters. If you’re tired of burning out while chasing “success,” this episode is your blueprint for making hustle sustainable.

 

📄 Show Notes

Let’s kill the fantasy: you don’t have to be broke to be creative, and you don’t have to burn out to build. Cliff Beach, LA-based musician and digital marketing exec, shares the system he built for greenlighting projects, keeping his creative spark alive, and staying healthy enough to actually enjoy the wins.

 

We get brutally honest about the real cost of ignoring your health in pursuit of growth—how stamina, clarity, and autonomy are non-negotiable if you want to play the long game. Cliff unpacks how he pivoted from a feast-or-famine creative life to a disciplined, sustainable one, with side hustles, published books, and a 50+ pound weight loss to show for it.

 

We cover creative thinking for non-creatives, the impact of mentorship, and the hard truth that ideas mean nothing without execution. And if you’re still looking for the right moment to invest in your well-being, Cliff will convince you: the ROI is exponential, both for your business and your life.

 

✅ Key Takeaways

  • Creativity is the ultimate competitive advantage.
  • Greenlight your own projects—don’t wait for permission.
  • Your health is the multiplier for everything else.
  • Start and finish: Most people won’t. Winners do.
  • Find mentors who think as big as you do, and don’t be afraid to leave the rest behind.
  • Scarcity is a mindset—abundance is a discipline.
  • Building for autonomy means structuring your life so you’re not dependent on anyone else’s approval.
  • The time will pass anyway—start investing in yourself now.

 

đŸ‘€ Bio

Musician and Author Cliff Beach has been performing live for more than 20 years. His single “Confident” was featured on Spotify’s All Funked Up and Funk Drive playlists with over 1M+ streams. He is the host of the Deeper Grooves Podcast and Deeper Grooves on 885FM. Cliff is the author of Side Hustle & Flow, which chronicles his musical journey while still working a day job. He’s written for Beautytap, Pepperdine, and Rock Star Life, and is the winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize, 3 World Songwriting Awards, 5 Global Music Awards, a California Music Video & Film Award, an Elite Music Award, and has been nominated for 4 LA Music Awards, 1 Hollywood Music & Media Award, and 1 Independent Music Award (among others). His music has recently been featured on the CW, HBO MAX, and in a BMW spot. He was nominated for a World Entertainment Award for his audiobook Side Hustle & Flow and has just released the follow-up audiobook, Side Hustle & Flow: Shape Up.

🎁 Giveaway

Ready to level up your health, hustle, and creative output?

Welcome to Side Hustle & Flow: Shape Up—the new audiobook and your blueprint for building sustainable energy, focus, and results. As a special bonus for podcast listeners, Cliff is offering the exclusive Quick Start PDF Guide absolutely free. This isn’t just another checklist—it’s a proven framework to kickstart your journey toward better health, higher energy, and real progress, even if you’re short on time.

How to claim your free guide:

  1. Click Download Now
  2. Fill out your contact information
  3. Get instant access to the Quick Start PDF—your first step to hustling harder, healthier, and smarter

Don’t settle for burnout or endless grind. Get the same actionable strategies Cliff used to win awards, scale his creative career, and outpace burnout.

Download your free guide now.

 

🧭 Chapters

00:00 Rick & Cliff’s Musical Roots: Berklee and Beyond

03:00 Purpose, “Ikigai,” and the Case for Creative Autonomy

07:30 The Structure of Creativity in Business

10:30 Greenlighting Your Own Projects

13:30 Ideas, the Universe, and Execution

16:50 Starting, Finishing, and Why Most People Don’t

19:40 Metaphysical Leaps, Faith, and Big Vision

22:10 Saying Yes to Opportunity (Even When You’re Not Ready)

29:00 Health, Energy, and Outrunning Your Ambitions

31:00 Abundance, Scarcity, and the Growth Mindset

35:00 Mentorship, Big Thinking, and Building Your Board

40:00 Closing Wisdom: Work for Your Dreams—or for Someone Else’s