Nerves vs. Nervous
Shark Theory
There’s a difference between having nerves and being nervous. One means you care. The other means you didn’t prepare. Show Notes In this episode of Shark Theory, Baylor pulls back the curtain on building a brand-new keynote from scratch and the psychology behind performance pressure. Unlike refining a talk over months like a comedian workshops material, this time Baylor had to deliver something completely new. New stories. New structure. New neuroscience. And with that came something he doesn’t often feel: nerves. But here’s the distinction that changed everything. Nerves simply mean...
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What Are You Really Mad At?
Shark Theory
Before you explode, ask yourself one question: What am I actually mad at? Show Notes In this episode of Shark Theory, Baylor shares a frustrating piano lesson that almost ended with a keyboard through the wall and the powerful insight that came from it. While trying to master a section of the James Bond theme, he hit a wall. Repeated mistakes. Rising frustration. Boiling anger. The kind that makes you want to quit. But instead of staying in that emotion, he paused and asked a deeper question: What is the real source of this frustration? From that moment, two powerful categories emerged....
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Reverse Engineer Joy
Shark Theory
You say certain things make you happy. But what does happiness actually feel like to you? Show Notes In this episode of Shark Theory, Baylor shares a powerful question from a recent therapy session that completely shifted his perspective: What does happiness feel like? Not what makes you happy. Not what you’re doing when you’re happy. But what does it feel like? At first, Baylor listed activities. Walking his dog. Playing golf. Spending time with friends. But his therapist pressed further. Feelings aren’t events. They’re states. That distinction changes everything. Too often, people...
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Stand Tall in the Storm
Shark Theory
When the storm comes, giraffes don’t run. They don’t hide. They stand tall and face away from it. Maybe that’s exactly what we need to do. Show Notes In this episode of Shark Theory, Baylor shares one of his favorite late-night research discoveries and the powerful life lesson hidden in how giraffes handle storms. At three in the morning, a random question led to a fascinating insight: where do giraffes hide when it rains? The answer is simple and powerful. They don’t. Instead of trying to curl up or seek shelter they can’t find, giraffes stand tall and face away from the storm....
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Go for the Gold
Shark Theory
t’s easy to judge from the couch. It’s harder to compete in the arena. The question is which one you want to be. Show Notes In this episode of Shark Theory, Baylor breaks down powerful lessons from the Winter Olympics and what they reveal about competition, criticism, and courage. Watching elite athletes perform at the highest level makes one thing clear: there are countless ways to be great. Some sports may not make sense to you. Some events may look strange or unfamiliar. But at the highest level, everything is competitive. Everything has a degree of difficulty. And every gold medal...
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Spring Cleaning for Your Mind
Shark Theory
You never clean a house by adding to it. And the same thing is true for your mind. Show Notes In this episode of Shark Theory, Baylor takes a familiar childhood memory of spring cleaning and applies it to something far more important: your mental space. Growing up, spring cleaning wasn’t optional. Drawers came out. Closets were emptied. Things were thrown away. And Baylor explains why real cleaning has always been about subtraction, not addition. The problem is, while most people eventually clean their homes, they rarely clean their minds. Day after day, mental clutter piles up. Negative...
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Turn the Weakness Into the Win
Shark Theory
What if the thing you think is holding you back is actually the source of your strength? Show Notes In this episode of Shark Theory, Baylor shares a moment from a dog park that turned into a powerful lesson about perspective, joy, and self-acceptance. While watching dogs play, Baylor couldn’t stop noticing one dog in particular. The happiest dog in the park only had three legs. It wasn’t self-conscious. It wasn’t comparing itself to the others. It wasn’t focused on what it lacked. It was simply living, playing, and enjoying the moment. That moment sparked a deeper reflection on how...
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Humble Doesn’t Mean Small
Shark Theory
Humility doesn’t mean downplaying everything good about yourself. And if you keep doing that long enough, your own mind will start to believe it. Show Notes In this episode of Shark Theory, Baylor breaks down the dangerous misunderstanding many people have about humility and why false humility slowly erodes confidence. For years, we’ve been taught that being humble means deflecting compliments, minimizing accomplishments, and acting like nothing we do really matters. Baylor explains why that mindset doesn’t make you humble, it makes you invisible to yourself. When you constantly say...
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What Are You Addicted To?
Shark Theory
You don’t have to be addicted to drugs or alcohol to be addicted. You’re already devoted to something. The question is whether it’s moving you forward or quietly holding you back. Show Notes In this episode of Shark Theory, Baylor breaks down the real meaning of addiction and why it isn’t always the villain we make it out to be. Tracing the word back to its original meaning, addiction simply means dedication or devotion. And when you look at it that way, every single person is addicted to something. Growth. Comfort. Progress. Complacency. Learning. Avoidance. Baylor explains why...
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Chasing Immortality
Shark Theory
ou don’t have to live forever to matter forever. The question is whether what you’re building will outlast you. Show Notes In this episode of Shark Theory, Baylor breaks down the idea of chasing immortality not in a physical sense, but through impact, purpose, and legacy. Using the story of Vincent Van Gogh, Baylor challenges the assumption that success is defined by money, recognition, or validation while you’re alive. Van Gogh sold only one painting during his lifetime, struggled deeply, and died believing he failed. Yet today, his work echoes through history and continues to move the...
info_outlineBefore you explode, ask yourself one question: What am I actually mad at?
Show Notes
In this episode of Shark Theory, Baylor shares a frustrating piano lesson that almost ended with a keyboard through the wall and the powerful insight that came from it.
While trying to master a section of the James Bond theme, he hit a wall. Repeated mistakes. Rising frustration. Boiling anger. The kind that makes you want to quit.
But instead of staying in that emotion, he paused and asked a deeper question: What is the real source of this frustration?
From that moment, two powerful categories emerged.
First, frustration rooted in negative patterns. Toxic jobs. Toxic relationships. Repetitive situations you knowingly stay in. In those cases, the frustration may not be about what happened. It may be about the fact that you keep allowing yourself to stand in something you know won’t change. That’s a hard truth, but owning it is the fastest way to break the cycle.
Second, frustration rooted in growth.
In Baylor’s case, the keyboard wasn’t the enemy. The frustration existed because he cared. He was advancing quickly. He was attempting something above his level. The tension wasn’t failure. It was expansion.
There’s a big difference between frustration caused by toxicity and frustration caused by progress. One drains you. The other stretches you.
Once you identify which category you’re in, everything shifts. Negative frustration requires removal. Growth frustration requires perspective.
Sometimes the anger isn’t a signal to quit. It’s proof that what you’re doing matters.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
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Why you must identify the true source of frustration
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The difference between toxic patterns and growth pains
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How staying in negative cycles fuels anger
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Why caring deeply creates intense emotion
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How reframing frustration lowers stress and restores focus
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When to walk away and when to lean in
Featured Quote
“Some frustration means you need to leave. Other frustration means you’re growing. Know the difference.”