I always loved the idea that confidence stems from evidence.
It’s much harder to execute with any certainty without sufficient reps. The same idea holds whether you’re shooting hoops or playing piano or writing a newsletter.
I am learning this in real time with Full Signal. My team released our 100th episode in August(!) and viewers write to me every day about how much better it is today compared to when we first launched last November.
I remember trying so hard to act normal — my best “fake it ‘till you make it” — through that first episode with Mike Green, who has spent decades as a leading voice and portfolio manager on Wall Street.
I was nervous about how I looked on camera. How my voice sounded in the microphone. Whether my questions made me sound dumb or young.
My clammy hands left my stack of notes damp and I’d sweat through my shirt.
That Mike has agreed to come back multiple times since that first episode is a reminder that rarely do other people pick up on the insecurities clanking around in your head. I’ve learned that things are seldom as uncomfortable or awkward as your brain wants you to think, particularly if it’s clear to everyone else you intend to work hard to improve.
Either way, I would not have been able to resolve my own misgivings without pushing through a high volume of reps.
It took more than 30 episodes for me to start feeling comfortable in the anchor chair. After about 60 I stopped feeling nervous about interjecting to keep the discussions focused.
Now, with episode #108 due this week, I’m not afraid to challenge my guests’ views, even if they have decades of experience on me.
Separate from the Full Signal franchise and brand and catalog of interviews, I feel I’ve finally built the stack of evidence I need to feel unshakingly confident in the work at hand.
Though my wife may disagree, the imposter syndrome has evaporated not because of an inflated ego but because every time I sit down to film I know I’ve done it literally a hundred times before.
I’m writing this on an airplane to Huntington Beach, California to speak at Future Proof, one of the most popular investment conferences in the world. I’ll be on stage Wednesday for a session titled, “Full Signal Live,” meaning it exists by definition because I committed to the podcast.
Today I receive 30 or 40 pitches a week from leading Wall Street firms, investment groups and investors who want to sit for an interview on Full Signal.
I’m seeing more inbound today as an independent operator than I did when I was a reporter at Business Insider.
There are suddenly a lot of smart people paying attention and more keep coming.
The only way I can rationalize it all is by falling back on the stack of evidence that the show sits on.
It’s a virtuous cycle. Confidence stems from evidence. Evidence feeds confidence. The best part is that the better you get at a thing, often the more fun the thing becomes.
I’m happy to have survived the clammy hands chapter to get to the fun one.
The pilot just announced we’re landing soon. Time to wrap this up.
One ask — if you haven’t yet, please subscribe to Full Signal on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
And if you are attending Future Proof this week, come find me on Wednesday at the PCH Stage at 1 PM. I’ll be speaking with my friend Sonali Basak, the chief investment strategist for iCapital.
Otherwise I’ll see you at episode #1,000.
Phil Rosen
Co-Founder & CEO of Opening Bell Media; Chief Market Strategist of ProCap Financial
Congrats on 100 episodes Phil! Big time!!