The Ryan Leak Podcast - The Vapor of Success

Episode Date: September 15, 2025

In the final episode of the Success Series, Ryan Leak unpacks the most sobering truth of all: success doesn’t last. From viral moments to bestselling milestones, the applause fades faster than you think. Whether it’s leading a Fortune 50 company, playing in the NBA, or hitting a career high, success often disappears like a mist... visible for a moment, then gone.But what does last?How you treated people.The impact you made.If you’ve ever chased success only to find it didn’t satisfy, this episode is for you. Ryan brings real stories, hard truths, and a powerful reminder that true success isn’t about the spotlight... it’s about your legacy.Text PODCAST to 469-809-1201 to get weekly encouragement sent straight to your phone.

Hello, my friends. Welcome to the Ryan League podcast where we keep things short and sweet. Here we are on the final episode of the success series. We have talked about the cost of success, how what you want might cost you more than just hard work. We've covered the dangers of success, how success can make you stop listening. It can isolate you and make you think you don't need people anymore. We unpack the pressure of success, not just to win, but the win again. Last week we exposed the addiction of success. We got to make you think. How you can become so hooked on applause, performance, and progress that you have to lose yourself in the process of trying to get success. And now, here we are for the final one, the vapor of success. Yes, it comes and it goes. The first time I experienced virality in any way, shape, or form was back in 2013. I planned a wedding for my wife behind her back over the course of two years, and we got engaged and married on the same day.

Long story. Another story for another podcast. It is called The Surprise Wedding. You can check that out on YouTube. We'll put a link in the show notes for you to see that if you have not already seen that. Now, it went viral at the time. And what was interesting is, is Good Morning America, called this up. Me and my wife were in Minneapolis, hanging out with some friends.

And they said, hey, we will send the camera crew to you. And we want to capture this story that was on a Wednesday. the next morning, that was a Thursday, we were on national television. By 9.30 a.m., my phone was dead from all the calls and texts. It was absolutely bananas. It was like, hey, we are on the mountaintop. This is crazy. And then something happened that I'll never forget.

I woke up the next morning. It was a Friday. It was a new day. I said, let me turn on Good Morning America because, you know, clearly we're going to be on it again, right? And to my surprise,

you won't believe what happened. They had a new story. And guess what? We weren't it. And in just 24 hours, just like that, we were old news. That was the day

that I learned that success is just a vapor. It's a mist. It shows up like fog on a mirror and disappears just as fast. I know a guy who is the CEO of a Fortune 50 company. He was on magazine covers, running billion dollar meetings.

And now, well, today, he's not. He got fired. And what's funny is, my guess is if you saw him at the mall their chilies, you wouldn't recognize them. I've got friends who are in the NBA, keyword, were. Eight years ago, crowds of kids lined up for autographs. Today, most kids wouldn't even know their names. It's interesting. I tell a story all the time when I do corporate keynotes about

Hall of Fame basketball player Kobe Bryant. And lately, it's interesting. I've started noticing that some people don't know who I'm talking about. I'll mention. that he's a five-time NBA champion, MVP, and icon. And I'll just see blank stares in the crowd. And then I have to, you know, explain who he is. And then I see people catch up like, oh, okay, this must be somebody that's cool or famous or important. And here's the crazy thing. It's not disrespect.

It's just the vapor. I mean, you just think about it. How many former U.S. presidents can the average kid name? Like, how many of the top-ranked podcasters can your mom recognize? Like, if you rattled off the top 10 YouTubers in the world to your parents over dinner, you'd probably get a, who? Who are those people? Oh, okay.

Not long ago, I had a book hit the New York Times bestseller's list. Now, in the author world, that's a massive win. outside of the author world, nobody really knows how hard it is to get that. They think, well, if you just sell a bunch of books, you hit the list. That's not true at all. I have a friend who sold 400,000 books in a week and did not hit the list. It is not what you think it is, but it's an accolade, nevertheless, that we work very hard to achieve. And so now it's a part of my bio.

Now it's a part of my introduction. And here's what's so funny. We worked so hard to get this accolade, and lately I've been introduced like this. You ready? Ladies and gentlemen, coming to the stage is the host of the Ryan League podcast. He is one of the most sought-after speakers in the country. And then they say it like this. It's so funny.

He's a New York's bestseller. Huh? No. I've never even spoken to New York. He's got one of the best-selling books in New York. New York. What? What are you talking about?

He's a Times Magazine bestselling author. I've never been in Time Magazine. What are they talking about? I'm thinking to myself, dude, it's on a teleprompter. It's a script. You're reading a script. You're reading a paragraph that has the words New York Times bestselling author. But here's what I've learned.

The reason they keep botching the intro is because they're not even familiar with the term New York Times bestselling author. They don't even care. Listen, when we hit the New York Times bestsellers list, that's how you say it. One of my friends literally said, so is that like a big deal or something? And it just reminded me again. Dude, it's just a mess. It's just a vapor.

It's an honor. But at the end of the day, it's here today. And well, and then tomorrow, you still got to go to work. Like, I don't get special seating at a restaurant because you're in New York Times bestselling authors. It's just like, no, you still have to take your kids to school. It's like, there's, you get a little applause, but that's about it. You get some credibility, which matters for sure, but it's not something to hang your hat on.

I've got another friend who built a platform He's got three and a half million followers on Instagram At one point he told me he was posting 10 videos of there Oh yeah I mean he was working his tail off to get there Here's what funny now he doesn't even have Instagram on his phone What was everything at one point is now nothing So here's the point not just of this episode But I believe of this whole success series

success can't just be about what you want to accomplish. It has to be about who you're becoming. Because my friends, let me just tell you something. The titles fade. You get that degree. You work so hard to get two degrees, three degrees, and then all of a sudden you're sitting with somebody who's a high school dropout that is a billionaire.

And you're like, oh, okay, cool. And nobody cares. My friends, the trophies collect dust. The press moves on. the views go down the applause stops but your character your integrity

your generosity your ability to love people well that's the kind of success that sticks the question is never just what did you build I think the question should be who did you become while building

so I'm going to leave you with this nobody And I mean nobody gets remembered for how many followers they had or how many commas were in their paycheck. You want a legacy? Be the person who showed up. Who wasn't? Who didn't make everything about themselves?

The person who didn't just climb the ladder, but perhaps held it steady for somebody else. Because when the lights go out and the applause dies down, the real flex is knowing you made people feel seen. that you made somebody feel safe, and that the world became a little bit better because you existed in it. My friends, that's impact. My friends, that's success.

Well, this success series has been fun. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at one subject over the last five weeks and looking at some different components of it. I would love to know how you felt about this series. Leave a comment. rate review subscribe should i keep doing series any series request out there any episode request listen they're short and sweet i ain't afraid to try anything if today's episode added value to your life in any way shape or form please share it with a friend and if you haven't

already please take a moment to rate review and subscribe also send out an encouraging text each and every week if you'd like to subscribe to that you can text the word podcast at the number 469 809, 1,201. My friends, we'll see you next week for an episode on. I'm not going to tell you yet, but it's going to be good. Can't wait to see you there. Peace.