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The Messy Middle Is the Point

The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show

Release Date: 02/18/2026

Summer School: Mel Robbins on Anxiety, Action, and the 5-Second Rule show art Summer School: Mel Robbins on Anxiety, Action, and the 5-Second Rule

The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show

Hey friends, Chase here. Every summer, I revisit conversations from the archive that have stood the test of time. Not because I'm nostalgic, but because the best ideas don't expire. They deepen. This is another installment of Summer School—episodes I personally went back to this year when I was stuck. This one with Mel Robbins is near the top of that list. At 41, Mel was unemployed, drowning in debt, and so overwhelmed she could barely get out of bed. Then she discovered something that sounds almost too simple to take seriously: the 5-Second Rule. Count backwards—5-4-3-2-1—and move...

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Summer School: Ryan Holiday on Stoicism, Marketing, and Creating Work That Lasts show art Summer School: Ryan Holiday on Stoicism, Marketing, and Creating Work That Lasts

The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show

Hey friends, Chase here. Every summer, I revisit conversations from the archive that have stood the test of time. Not because I'm nostalgic, but because the best ideas don't expire. They deepen. This is another installment of Summer School—the set of episodes I personally return to the most when I'm stuck and need something true to lean on. This one with Ryan Holiday is high on that list. I've gone back to it multiple times this year alone. Ryan is a legend—author, media strategist, New York Times bestselling writer, and the person who brought Stoic philosophy into popular culture for a...

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Summer School: Ben Uyeda on Escalation, Purpose, and Building Bigger Without Losing Yourself show art Summer School: Ben Uyeda on Escalation, Purpose, and Building Bigger Without Losing Yourself

The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show

Hey friends, Chase here. Every summer, I revisit conversations from the archive that have stood the test of time. Not because I'm nostalgic, but because the best ideas don't expire. They deepen. This is another installment of Summer School—episodes I return to when I'm stuck. When a pattern I've been conditioned to see suddenly needs to be broken, I go back to the people who help me think differently. This one with Ben Uyeda is near the top of that list. Ben is a designer, entrepreneur, and creative force of nature who left a successful architecture firm and an Ivy League teaching gig to...

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Summer School: Tony Robbins on Peak Performance, Precision Medicine, and Transforming Your Quality of Life show art Summer School: Tony Robbins on Peak Performance, Precision Medicine, and Transforming Your Quality of Life

The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show

Hey friends, Chase here. Every summer, I revisit conversations from the archive that have stood the test of time. Not because I'm nostalgic, but because the best ideas don't expire. They deepen. This is another installment of Summer School—episodes I go back to when I'm stuck, looking for the person in my network who's already lived the answer. This one with Tony Robbins is a perfect example. I've been navigating some peak performance challenges around my physical body—joints breaking down from a life as an athlete. Tony has spent years deep in the breakthroughs happening in precision...

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Summer School: Brené Brown on Vulnerability, Creativity, and the Courage to Be Seen show art Summer School: Brené Brown on Vulnerability, Creativity, and the Courage to Be Seen

The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show

Hey friends, Chase here. Every summer, I revisit conversations from the archive that have stood the test of time. Not because I'm nostalgic, but because the best ideas don't expire. They deepen. This is the first installment of Summer School, a series where we're bringing back conversations that still have something important to teach us. This episode with Brené Brown was originally recorded more than a decade ago, shortly after Daring Greatly was published. A lot has changed since then. The platforms have changed. The technology has changed. The creative landscape has changed. But one thing...

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Your Imperfection Is the Advantage show art Your Imperfection Is the Advantage

The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show

Hey friends, Chase here We are living in a moment where perfect is cheaper than ever. A few words into a prompt can generate an image. A template can make your brand look polished. A filter can smooth the rough edges. An AI tool can help you produce something slick, flattering, and technically impressive in seconds. On the surface, that sounds like creative abundance. But there is a catch. When everything can be perfected, perfect starts to feel invisible. That is the tension at the heart of this episode. In a world flooded with polish, your imperfections are not the liability. They are the...

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Jeff Boyd: Why Hard Things Are the Opportunity show art Jeff Boyd: Why Hard Things Are the Opportunity

The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show

Hey friends, Chase here Jeff Boyd is on the show today, and this conversation is about building the kind of life and business that does not always look like the predominant story on the internet. Jeff is the founder and chairman of MTE, More Than Energy, which he describes in this episode as “an energy that loves you back.” Before that, he spent 15 years as the President and co-owner of Luggage Free, where he expanded global operations to more than 100 countries before selling the company in 2019. What I loved about this conversation is that it is not the usual story about chasing the next...

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Bet On Yourself show art Bet On Yourself

The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show

Hey friends, Chase here There is a particular kind of silence that can change the direction of a life. Not the peaceful kind. Not the silence you seek out when you need space to think. I mean the silence that lands in the room right after you say something true. The silence after you tell people what you really want. The silence after you say, out loud, that you are thinking about leaving the safe path and choosing the one that actually feels like yours. I remember that silence very clearly. I remember the day I told my family I was going to leave the path everyone expected for me and become a...

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Eric Zimmer: How A Little Becomes A Lot show art Eric Zimmer: How A Little Becomes A Lot

The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show

Hey friends, Chase here Eric Zimmer is on the show today, and this conversation is exactly the kind of reminder we all need when we are trying to change something real. You probably know Eric from The One You Feed, his award-winning podcast about wisdom, behavior change, mental health, spirituality, and what it means to live well. But Eric’s new book, , goes somewhere even more fundamental. It asks a question that feels especially urgent for creators, entrepreneurs, leaders, parents, and anyone trying to build a meaningful life in a world that constantly tells us to optimize everything: What...

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Austin Kleon: Don’t Call It Art show art Austin Kleon: Don’t Call It Art

The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show

Hey friends, Chase here Austin Kleon is back on the show, and this conversation is exactly the kind of reminder every creative person needs. You probably know Austin from Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work!, and Keep Going, the books that have helped millions of people rethink creativity, sharing, influence, originality, and what it actually means to make things in public. But Austin’s new book, , goes somewhere even more fundamental. It asks a question that feels especially urgent for creators, entrepreneurs, artists, writers, photographers, parents, and anyone trying to make meaningful...

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More Episodes

Every creative journey starts the same way.

Excitement. Possibility. Momentum.

And then — somewhere between the spark and the breakthrough — it gets hard.

The novelty fades. The results slow down. Doubt gets louder. And that’s when most of us go looking for certainty. Better gear. Better tactics. The “right” answers.

But what if the discomfort isn’t a sign you’re off track?

What if it’s proof you’ve finally reached the part that actually matters?

In this episode, I break down why the messy middle — that stretch between starting and mastering — is where your identity gets forged. Why we hide in measurable answers when we’re uncomfortable. And how to reconnect with the love that made you begin in the first place.

Because the middle isn’t a detour.

It’s the proving ground.

In this episode:

  • Why creators obsess over tools when the work gets uncomfortable

  • The psychological comfort of “right answers”

  • What the messy middle really is

  • How to develop internal clarity instead of chasing certainty

  • Why remembering your origin story can reset everything

If you’re in a season where the work feels heavy, this is your reminder: discomfort doesn’t mean you’re failing. It often means you’re growing.

Until next time, stay close to the craft — and remember, the part you’re tempted to escape might be the part that’s shaping you most.