450 Pivot Point: My Life Reimagined in a Moment featuring Ezra Vancil
"And I just couldn't do it. And I wrote the guy at the publishing company in LA and said I can't do this....
Because I'd finally found, I think, the holy grail of life, which is peace of mind and people that love you. And to sign that contract would put me back on the road."
Ezra Vancil had been a successful musician, and with that came years of addiction and eventually the destruction of his marriage and his relationship with his teenaged son.
But at 40 he got help, gave up alcohol and drugs, and one of his original song recordings posted on social media caught the attention of a couple of publishing companies. He was this close to signing a contract, realizing what he thought was his dream, and turned it down.
"And it's just my chest would sink every time I sat down and talked to these people or sat down and worked on the contract. It would just sink. And I didn't know why. You know, I couldn't figure out why - what this fear was."
He was looking down at the contract, pen in hand, when his older brother called. "I think I could help you start a company. And I think think you'd be really good at it."
Ezra put down the pen.
He didn't really know what a pivotal moment that was until years later. Looking back, he can see it clear as day, that was the moment he took inventory and realized his dreams, his aspirations, his definition of success, had completely changed.
Listen to the story of that moment, and as we pull threads you'll hear a related moment in time, years later, that might just bring tears to your eyes.
Listeners, now it's your turn:
What will you take from this conversation?
Did any memories come up for you, a time when you realized your goal had shifted? Did you keep going, head down, or did you pivot?
Will you be somebody who now takes inventory before you get single-minded about a goal over the long term
Will you be a person who sees a decision and the potential for consequences of the choice you made?
Will you be more present in this moment, knowing that it's not the things that happen to you, that define you, but the way you talk about them?
As always, thanks for listening to your stories don't define you, how you tell them will.
About Ezra:
Ezra Vancil is an award-winning Texas singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and marketing executive whose career has spanned music, business, and personal reinvention. After signing a development deal early in his music career, addiction derailed both his life and career for more than a decade before he rebuilt through recovery. Today, he leads a successful marketing company with his son, while continuing to write and record music independently, including a father-daughter collaboration with his daughter, Cozi. His story is one of second chances, choosing family over fame, and discovering that success is measured less by recognition than by the life you build.
Follow Ezra on Instagram, and check out his website to hear his music and learn more about his story.
Lately I’ve been focused on brief, less than 20-minute episodes that keep your attention while still offering insights and entertainment.
What you’ve been hearing is a brief story of a pivotal moment, and then a thread pulled to generate insights about it.
I have two goals for you:
One – to uncover your related story for you to add to your collection to practice and have ready when the opportunity presents itself.
And two – to demonstrate storytelling in a practical, approachable way so you hear how I compose my words, phrases, and use tone-of-voice to add dynamics and meaning.
I’ve often said that your stories don’t have to be epic, they need to be meaningful. My point is that everyday moments of joy, grief, and humor, can be far more relatable than the “I almost died” or celebrity sighting stories.
But there is a time and a place for an epic story, for the entertainment value, and for the long tail it generates of meaningful moments in the days, months, and years afterward. The lessons you learned, the evidence of resilience you carry, and the relationships that grew and changed as a result of that epic experience.
After more than 430 episodes of this podcast, I was recently inspired to change the format of the show.
The new format for my show aligns with what I’m learning about narrative identity (how the stories we tell about ourselves internally and externally influence our identity) and demonstrates what I’ve been teaching for years: Sharing a story to reveal who you are and what matters to you.
My hope is that future episodes will offer more clarity about great storytelling and how to find and explore pivotal moments to demonstrate who we are.
About Sarah:
Sarah is a Montana based workplace communication trainer, TEDx speaker, DisruptHR speaker, public speaking coach, professional storyteller, musician, and podcast host. Her workshops and coaching packages with teams and their leaders are known to address and reduce miscommunication – the most common cause of tension and stress in the workplace. Using the team’s results from the StrengthsFinder assessment, she guides teams in learning to speak each other’s “language”, learning to value each other’s strengths and connecting with each other through enhanced self-reflection and effective listening.
Sarah’s nearly 20 years working in government agencies inspired her to complete her MBA and to achieve her StrengthsFinder certification to improve work environments for others, guiding teams toward increased satisfaction, productivity, and happiness.
Visit her website to purchase her book, Your Stories Don't Define You in paperback or audiobook.