Ray Edwards Show

Mastermind Roundtable: AI, Storytelling, Authenticity, and Building Superfans

My guests for this podcast:

→ Mike Stelzner | https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/

→ Pat Flynn |  https://patflynn.com/

→ Mark Mason | https://markmason.com/

→ Leslie Samuel | https://iamlesliesamuel.com/

→ Cliff Ravenscraft | https://www.cliffravenscraft.com/

Ray Edwards hosts a mastermind-style discussion with Cliff Ravenscraft, Mike Stelzner, Mark Mason, Leslie Samuel, and Pat Flynn about the current online business market and how AI is reshaping discovery, content, and connection.

Each offers a one-word market description: evolving (Cliff), tumultuous (Mike), opportunity (Leslie), narrowing channels through an AI lens (Mark), and story-driven (Pat).

Pat explains growing his Card Party Pokémon event from 1,500 to 10,000 attendees without ads by building community, creating remarkable experiences, featuring other creators, and leveraging social conversation that fuels search.

The group emphasizes that human connection, authenticity, and storytelling matter more as AI answers informational queries. Mike shares his daily short-form docu-series “Press Start: The Road to 3,000” to rebuild Social Media Marketing World attendance and improve through repetition. Cliff discusses reinvention via finding one’s zone of genius and validating before pivoting. Mark highlights persistent AI agents with memory that can execute tasks and compound results.

00:00 Meet the Mastermind

01:58 One Word Market Pulse

06:38 Pat on Card Party Growth

09:28 Search and Superfans

11:05 Human Face Wins

13:49 Mike's Daily Docuseries

17:15 Mark on Search Panic

20:28 Cliff on Reinvention

25:10 Pat on Serving First

29:44 AI Agents Opportunity

33:41 Rapid Fire AI Examples

35:24 Wrap Up and Links

CONNECT ON SOCIAL

→ instagram | http://instagram.com/rayedwards

→ facebook | http://facebook.com/rayedwardsonline

→ twitter | http://twitter.com/rayedwards

→ tiktok | http://tiktok.com/therayedwards

→ linkedin | http://linkedin.com/in/therayedwards

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO PODCAST

🎧 The Ray Edwards Podcast | https://rayedwardspodcast.com

Subscribe for all the new videos from Ray | https://www.youtube.com/user/RayEdwardsTV?sub_confirmation=1

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My NEW book: Read This or Die! Persuade Yourself to a Better Life | https://amzn.to/40X32s8

My COPYWRITING Book: How to Write Copy That Sells | http://amzn.to/2BSgrc9

W A T C H  M O R E

HOW PROSPERITY HELPS EVERYONE:

https://youtu.be/NhDLNJjxfkY

5 REASONS YOU AREN'T GETTING THINGS DONE:

https://youtu.be/ztREI-7Jn5k

HOW TO GET OUT OF OVERWHELM

https://youtu.be/EOD7sdBP-Ws

___

S N A I L M A I L

Ray Edwards

Ray Edwards International, Inc

2910 E 57th Ave

Ste 5 PMB 330

Spokane, WA 99223

Inquiries | [email protected]

___

W E L C O M E

Welcome to the Ray Edwards YouTube Channel, the channel dedicated to helping you write the words that sell more of your products, services, and ideas.

My name is Ray Edwards, and I'm the author of How to Write Copy That Sells. I'm also an internationally-recognized public speaker, entrepreneur and marketing strategist.

Discover more details at https://rayedwards.com/about/

Subscribe to this YouTube Channel for regular videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/RayEdwardsTV?sub_confirmation=1

-

DISCLOSURE:

Thank you for trusting me to bring you truthful and reliable opinions on any products I recommend. I always disclose affiliate or sponsored information - to be safe, just assume I stand to benefit from any recommendations I make. As a friend, you permit me to earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my affiliate/referral links. This doesn't affect you in any way in the checkout process (unless I've arranged a discount for you). Thank you for supporting this channel!

The Boredom Trap: Why You Quit Right Before It Works

I sat down with Robert Plank — longtime podcaster, host of Marketer of the Day, and a man with more than 1,600 episodes behind him — to talk about why podcasting still works as a growth strategy for thought leaders, and why most people abandon it right about the time it starts paying. I include myself in that indictment. We also got practical about using AI without surrendering your voice, and how a podcast quietly builds relationships, referrals, and opportunities that no ad campaign can buy.

Robert's "Done For You Podcasting" Service: https://www.dfypodcast.com/

Timestamps

00:00 — I introduce Robert Plank and his podcasting mission
02:14 — Why podcasting is still the best place to start a platform
03:08 — Why interviews feel more alive than solo monologues
04:20 — The boredom trap, and why your audience is always behind you
05:47 — Consistency, routines, and showing up on schedule
08:08 — Changing tactics without abandoning your strategy
09:05 — Why AI-generated content so often feels fake
10:54 — What good AI-assisted filmmaking and writing can look like
12:09 — Human judgment, cleanup, and the "AI pass"
13:36 — Using AI drafts while protecting your own voice
14:37 — Why you still have to review the output
15:48 — What 1,600+ episodes actually teach you
16:16 — The structure that makes interviews easier and better
18:40 — The relationship value that lives outside the interview
19:22 — Using podcasting to land one client instead of chasing vanity metrics
20:49 — Pre-calls, post-calls, and deliberate follow-up
22:33 — Why podcast relationships turn into real opportunities
24:13 — Shallow interviews versus true connection
25:28 — Letting referrals happen instead of forcing the sale
26:26 — What to do if your last podcast attempt flopped
27:05 — Why podcasting is easier now than it's ever been
28:02 — Reconnecting with old contacts and preserving good conversations
30:03 — Why recording video is worth it even with a simple setup
31:41 — How video deepens relationships over time
32:28 — The discipline of actually listening to your guest
33:54 — Why good banter makes a show worth hearing
34:11 — Robert's done-for-you podcasting service
35:24 — What his team handles behind the scenes
36:09 — My closing endorsement of Robert

Quote I keep coming back to

"Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently." — Henry Ford

What I'd do with this

In this episode, Michael Hyatt shares how AI is transforming productivity and leadership, emphasizing the importance of working according to your design and becoming an AI architect to enhance capacity and fulfillment.

Key Topics

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and guest background

00:31 Michael Hyatt's life philosophy and sabbatical practice

01:41 AI as a tool for increasing productivity and human flourishing

02:58 Training AI to handle routine tasks and email management

04:33 Using Claude AI for workflow automation and website optimization

06:57 Training AI to respond in your voice and style

08:55 AI's impact on team capacity and leadership

11:02 Displacement fears and the opportunity to become an AI user

11:58 Starting with AI: experimentation and startup opportunities

13:56 AI transforming business operations and outsourcing

16:02 Reflective thinking and AI analysis of websites

17:01 Creating and building websites with AI

18:52 AI in digital marketing and the newsletter offering

20:29 New project: The MAPS profile for personality assessment

22:00 Understanding yourself through AI-driven personality synthesis

24:02 Using personality insights to improve team dynamics

26:02 Working according to your design and the desire zone

28:04 Conclusion: working in your strength and fulfillment

In this episode, Raleigh Norton shares his incredible story of a skydiving accident (just a few months ago!), the lessons learned from adversity, and how intentional mindset shifts can transform your life and business.

Discover insights on mastering craft, the importance of a clear 'why,' and navigating AI's impact on creativity.

 00:00 The Skydiving Incident: A Life-Changing Experience
06:16 Lessons Learned from Adversity
12:50 Raleigh Norton's Journey: From Hawaii to Scaling.com
19:56 The Importance of a Proper 'Why' in Business
27:29 Transformative Mindsets: Learning from Life's Challenges
37:17 Transforming Challenges into Opportunities
38:05 Navigating the AI Landscape
39:58 AI's Dual Nature: Shadow and Light
44:38 The Role of Human Creativity in an AI World
50:19 Mastering Craft in the Age of AI
57:23 Building in Doses: The Path to Mastery
01:05:08 Believing in Your Potential

CONNECT ON SOCIAL

→ instagram |   / rayedwards   

→ facebook |   / rayedwardsonline   

→ twitter |   / rayedwards  

→ tiktok | http://tiktok.com/therayedwards
→ linkedin |   / therayedwards   

THE AUDIO PODCAST 🎧 The Ray Edwards Podcast |https://rayedwardspodcast.com 

Subscribe for all the new videos from Ray | https://www.youtube.com/user/RayEdwar... 

- My NEW book: Read This or Die! Persuade Yourself to a Better Life | https://amzn.to/40X32s8 My COPYWRITING Book: How to Write Copy That Sells | http://amzn.to/2BSgrc9 W A T C H M O R E HOW PROSPERITY HELPS EVERYONE:    • How Prosperity Helps Everyone   5 REASONS YOU AREN'T GETTING THINGS DONE:    • 5 Reasons You Aren't Getting Things Done   HOW TO GET OUT OF OVERWHELM    • How to Get Out of Overwhelm  

Join Ray Edwards and Joe Barton as they explore faith, entrepreneurship, health, and the transformative power of trusting God through life's challenges.

And yes - the $30M sales letter will be revealed! (Or is it - the $100M sales letter???). Discover how faith influences business decisions, health journeys, and personal growth in this inspiring conversation.

CHAPTERS

Barton Publishing - https://bartonpublishing.com/
Build Templ: Let Your Training Be Worship - https://buildtempl.com/

CONNECT WITH JOE BARTON ON SOCIAL

CONNECT WITH RAY ON SOCIAL

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO PODCAST 🎧 The Ray Edwards Podcast | https://rayedwardspodcast.com Subscribe for all the new videos from Ray | https://www.youtube.com/user/RayEdwardsTV?sub_confirmation=1 - My NEW book: Read This or Die! Persuade Yourself to a Better Life | https://amzn.to/40X32s8 My COPYWRITING Book: How to Write Copy That Sells | http://amzn.to/2BSgrc9 W A T C H M O R E HOW PROSPERITY HELPS EVERYONE: https://youtu.be/NhDLNJjxfkY 5 REASONS YOU AREN'T GETTING THINGS DONE: https://youtu.be/ztREI-7Jn5k HOW TO GET OUT OF OVERWHELM https://youtu.be/EOD7sdBP-Ws ___ S N A I L M A I L Ray Edwards Ray Edwards International, Inc 2910 E 57th Ave Ste 5 PMB 330 Spokane, WA 99223 Inquiries | [email protected] ___

W E L C O M E Welcome to the Ray Edwards Podcast and YouTube Channel. We are here to help you write the "words that sell". Sell more of your products, services, and ideas. My name is Ray Edwards, and I'm the author of How to Write Copy That Sells. I'm also an internationally-recognized public speaker, entrepreneur and marketing strategist. Discover more details at https://rayedwards.com/about/

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for regular (FREE) videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/RayEdwardsTV?sub_confirmation=1 -

DISCLOSURE: Thank you for trusting me to bring you truthful and reliable opinions on any products I recommend. I always disclose affiliate or sponsored information - to be safe, just assume I stand to benefit from any recommendations I make. As a friend, you permit me to earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my affiliate/referral links. This doesn't affect you in any way in the checkout process (unless I've arranged a discount for you). Thank you for supporting this channel!

A while back, I lost everything.

Not "everything" the way people say it after a rough quarter. I mean I opened my banking app one day and saw a number with no digits in front of the decimal. Zero. The kind of zero that makes you sit very still for a minute.

I'd been earning a million dollars a year. And then I wasn't earning anything at all.

Here's the strange part, and it's the reason for this post and the episode it goes with: losing it might be the best thing that ever happened to me.

If you've ever been afraid of losing what you've built — or you're in the middle of losing it right now — stay with me.

I've started calling it that, with a little wink, "the recent unpleasantness" (what's that movie? Anyone know?).

It began with Parkinson's. Then the pandemic, which was not a gentle season for anyone running a business. Then shoulder surgery. Then brain surgery — and I want you to notice I just dropped "brain surgery" in next to "shoulder surgery" like I was listing errands.

Add a few business decisions I'd love to have back, some personal ones I'd file in the same drawer, medical bills that arrived looking like phone numbers, and overhead that had grown to the size of a small kingdom. Underneath all of it, quietly, a crisis of faith. Not a wobble. A genuine dark night of the soul, the kind St. John of the Cross wrote about, where God seems to have left the room and shut the door, and you stand in the dark wondering if any of it was ever real. 

At the bottom of it, I declared bankruptcy.

I'm not telling you this to perform my suffering. I'm not complaining. We're rebuilding, and I'm a new man — by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I mean that as plainly as I can say it.

So here's the question I had to ask myself. When I say going broke made me rich, is that just a clever line? A copywriter's sleight of hand? Or can a man say a thing like that and be telling the truth?

It's true. Here's how.

When you get stripped all the way down, you find out what was holding the house up.

I'd built a life with a lot of stuff in it. Income. Status. A reputation in my corner of the marketing world. The comfort of knowing the bills were handled and then some. None of that is wrong. I'm not here to tell you money is the problem and poverty is the cure — that's a sermon people preach when they've never actually been broke, and it's nonsense.

What happened was simpler. Everything that wasn't essential got taken away, and I was left holding only what was. And the list of things that are truly essential turns out to be far shorter than the list of things I'd convinced myself I couldn't live without.

Corrie Ten Boom said it better than I can: you don't learn that Jesus is all you need until the day He's all you have. 

I used to read that as a needlepoint-pillow kind of line. Then I lived it, and it stopped being a pillow and became the floor I was standing on. Because when you've got nothing left but God, you find out fast whether God is enough. He is. Not because I read it somewhere — because I tested it against the wall, with nothing to fall back on, and it held.

I spent a lot of that season on my knees. I mean that literally, not as a figure of speech. Some mornings I was flat on my face on the floor, talking to God. Sometimes not even talking. Just there. Out of words, out of plans, out of the energy it takes to keep pretending you've got it handled.

And in that low place, things grew that had never had room before.

Real humility — the kind that comes from running out of options and realizing you were never as in control as you thought. A habit of seeking God's will before a decision instead of after, when I just needed Him to bless what I'd already chosen. A patience I did not previously possess; ask anyone who knew me in the old days.

I became a better husband, a better parent, a better friend, a better follower of Jesus. Not better than you, or anybody — better than the man I used to be. That's the only fair comparison there is. And the new one is a better creature. A reborn one. That's not a marketing claim. It's a report from the field.

I'm rebuilding the business now, with a few good people helping me, and it's going well. But it's going well in a completely different way.

Before, I built fast and big. I added overhead like it was a hobby. If something looked like it might work, I threw money and people at it and sorted the details later. This time it's slow, methodical, almost annoyingly careful. Not because I've gotten timid — because I've become a different kind of business person. The fast-and-big version of me was running on a need to prove something, to be impressive, to outrun a fear I couldn't have named at the time. That guy got retired during the unpleasantness, and the fellow who replaced him builds differently.

Going back through my old courses and trainings as part of the rebuild, I found most of it was sound. Well-built. Stuff I can stand behind. I'll say that carefully, because there's a version of it that's just bragging in modest clothing. I'm not proud of the work. I'm pleased by it — and there's a difference. Proud takes credit and puffs up. Pleased just looks at the thing honestly and notices the foundation's still square.

Here's where I land the plane.

Some of us are slow students. I'll put myself first in that line. Apparently I'm the kind of student who needs the painful version of the lesson — going broke financially, physically, spiritually, getting taken all the way down to the studs before I'll finally surrender to God's will. That's how I learned it. The hard way. The expensive way.

It doesn't have to be that way for you.

You could skip all of it and go straight to the mercy seat. Straight to surrender and humility and trust, and find the freedom there before the tragedy ever shows up. The lesson is available without the tuition I paid. I had to lose everything to learn God was enough. You could simply decide He's enough today — on a perfectly ordinary Tuesday, business intact, bank balance healthy, nothing dramatic happening at all. Surrender now, while it's a choice, instead of later, when it's the only option left.

That's the shortcut, and it's a real one.

So if everything's going fine and you've been holding God at arm's length because you don't feel like you need Him at the moment — go to your knees anyway. Not out of crisis. Out of wisdom. Get there the easy way.

And if you're in the dark right now, door shut, God seemingly gone from the room, hear this from somebody who's been exactly where you are: He hasn't left. It feels like it. I know. But the floor is still there in the dark. I found it. It held me. It'll hold you.

Going broke made me rich. I mean that every way it can be meant. I lost the money and found the things money was always a substitute for, and knowing what I know now, I wouldn't trade back.

This is the written companion to this week's episode of The Ray Edwards Show. If it landed, go listen to the full conversation — and then go do the thing only you can do. And remember whose you are.

 The last few years handed me a stack of things I never ordered — Parkinson's, brain surgery, a pandemic, and financial pressure I've talked about openly in older episodes and on YouTube. In this brand-new, unedited, "live-to-drive" relaunch of The Ray Edwards Show, I'm not going to rehash the wounds. 

I'm going to do something more useful: I'm going to hand you the scars. Because the scars, as I've come to see it, are the curriculum. And what I learned in that fire has rewired everything I teach about building a business in this strange, contracting, AI-rewired moment — including why nearly every entrepreneur I meet is trying to build a personal brand in exactly the wrong order..

Here's a peek at what you'll discover when you press play:

Press play. Pull out the pen and notebook I'll tell you to grab anyway. And get ready to find out exactly which phase you've been skipping.

🎧 Listen now → [The Ray Edwards Show, Episode 686]

📄 Grab the free companion report that walks through all five phases in detail: rayedwards.com/5pillars

A.I. has stripped all value from generic content. Content is not only abundant, it's become practically infinite and worthless.

So, where does that leave us mere mortals?  

There are 5 things you have that you might not recognize as assets, but they absolutely are. This week, I'll give you the breakdown of 5 things that you have that AI can never replicate.

Key Insights

Subscribe to the show in Apple Podcasts or on Spotify, and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show.

Questions or comments?

Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice.

I've coached a lot of people to "start making videos". It's an essential part of building your brand and attracting the right people. Putting your personality on display will weed out those you don't click with and strengthen the bonds with your fans.
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​That's all true, but the fact is...Not everyone can physically do this.

As a person living with Parkinson's, I have windows of time where my body is willing to cooperate with me and do what I need it to. Some days those windows are very short...Other days they're nonexistent. 
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​There are millions of people with physical and mental challenges that make it difficult or impossible to be on camera. This week, I want to prove to you that you're not out of the game because of these limitations. You have options! 
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Key Insights

Links

AI Accelerator Summit - Happening next week! (4/15-4/17) Join Ray Edwards, Bryan & Noelle Switalski, and 14 World-Class Experts for 3 Days That Could Change How You Work Forever. This live event is 100% FREE: Get your ticket here!

Video And Transcript

How You Can Help

Subscribe to the show in Apple Podcasts or on Spotify, and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show.

Questions or comments?

Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice.

Imagine you have a disease that is consuming your mobility...your speech. All of the tools you're accustomed to using to communicate with others are taken from you. Perhaps only months ago you were known as a compelling storyteller...a charismatic figure who could light up the room with charming wit. Now a disease has reduced you to blinking once for yes and twice for no. It's a horrible thought, but for some it's an unstoppable reality.
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​A.I. is changing this. It's on the verge of freeing many people from this isolation, and that is AMAZING!
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​This week, Sean and I catch up on life in the coffee biz, discuss the importance of honesty and transparency, and highlight some of the former science fiction that AI is making possible.
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​Incredible things are happening right now. Things that this nerdy kid who was raised on Star Trek never thought he'd live to see...but here we are.

In the business world, AI is empowering entrepreneurs to achieve feats that traditionally require teams of high-dollar experts. Not anymore. The playing field is more level than it has ever been in modern times. It's not too late to be one of the "early adopters" who skyrockets to success by mastering a few tools. 

Don't get sucked into the Luddite, fear-mongering click bait. Focus on the positive impacts this new technology is making and learn how to use it to improve your life and the lives of others.

FYI: That is exactly what the AI Accelerator Summit is all about - Successful entrepreneurs showing you how their businesses have been propelled by a few tools that are available to all of us. This is a FREE live event, not to be missed. You don't have to buy a seat,  but you do need to claim your free ticket: Click Here to grab a spot.   

Key Insights

Links

How You Can Help

Subscribe to the show in Apple Podcasts or on Spotify, and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show.

Questions or comments?

Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice.