The Ryan Leak Podcast - When Phenomenal Skill Meets Phenomenal Will

Episode Date: November 10, 2025

Phenomenal skill gets you noticed—but phenomenal will makes you unstoppable. In this episode, Ryan explores the powerful difference between what you can measure and what you can’t. From the 10,000-hour rule to Angela Duckworth’s research on grit, and the inspiring story of Jamie Kern Lima—who turned rejection after rejection into a $1.2 billion success—this episode reminds us that talent might open the door, but perseverance keeps you in the room. Skill helps you start. Will helps you finish.👉 If today’s episode encouraged you, text “podcast” to 469-809-1201 to get weekly inspiration and leadership insights straight to your phone.

What's going on, my friends? Welcome to the Ryan League podcast where we love to keep things short and sweet for you. We just want to give you a nugget up inspiration and add value to your week. And today is no exception. Today's episode is entitled, When Phenomenal Skill Meets Phenomenal Will. Yeah, yeah, yeah, when phenomenal skill meets phenomenal will. My friends, there are two kinds of greatness in this world. You got skill and you got will.

Yeah, phenomenal skill is the stuff you can. measure. You know, it's the quarterback who can throw a 60-yard pass with accuracy. It's the surgeon who can make a precise cut that saves a life. It's the chef who can turn a few ingredients into a masterpiece. It's the basketball player who can do a 360 dunk. Like, skill is trackable. I would argue skill is trainable. It's repeatable. You can usually point to where it came from. It was hours of practice. It was thousands of reps. It was long nights. It was early. warnings. It's what people like Malcolm Gladwell have made famous as the 10,000 hour rule. It's the idea that if you put in enough time, you can develop phenomenal skill. And we admire that

because we can see it. We can watch the highlight reel. We can read the resume. We can see the numbers. We can look at the stats. But phenomenal will, well now, that's a different story. Phenomenal will is a completely different story because you can't track that with a stopwatch or record it on film. Will is invisible until life gets hard. It's the part of you that decides to stand back up after you've been knocked out.

It's the coworker. You've seen this before. That just lost a loved one, but still shows up to the office with a smile. It's the parent who's exhausted from working two jobs, but somehow some way. makes it to their kids game. It's the entrepreneur who's relentless,

who's heard no 50 times, but keeps pitching their idea like it's the first time. Yeah, that's what you start seeing. It's phenomenal will. I think skill. It's what makes you capable. But phenomenal will? It's what makes you unstoppable.

And the research backs this up. Angela Duckworth from the University of Pennsylvania, she calls it grit, writes about it in her book. She defines it as this, the combination of passion and perseverance toward a long-term goal. In fact, in her studies, Grit consistently outperformed both talent and IQ as a predictor of success. In other words, phenomenal will carries more weight than phenomenal skill when the game gets hard. I mean, we can all think of moments where skill alone wasn't enough because you can be skilled and still lose. But when skill and will collide, well, that's when

legends are made. Skill is like knowing how to run a marathon, but Will is crossing the finish line on a busted angle. Skill is giving the presentation. Will is giving it again after your idea got shot down the first time. Skill is cooking the perfect meal. Will is serving it with joy even after a 14-hour skill is making the sale will is knocking on the next door after 20 rejections skill is hitting free throws in practice you can do that all day but will is draining them in the final seconds when a championship is on the line

skill is writing the book will well is rewriting the book after your publisher sends it back with edits skill is creating the product will is launching it again after the first version flop phenomenal skill gets you noticed phenomenal will makes you remembered

we've seen it in sports serena williams clawing her way back from two sets down michael jordan playing through the stomach flew in the finals tiger woods winning the 2019 masters after years of injuries and setbacks they all had skill

for sure but it was their will that made history and somebody that we were speaking at the same event. I was seconds from calling her a friend. And people would be doing that sometimes

just because you spoke at the same. I was like, let me tell you about one of my friends. And somehow that's going to make me sound more important. I've met this person. She seems like an incredible human being, but we are not actually friends. But I would say we are acquaintances. And when we met each other,

we said, hey, high-fived, and cheer each other on. But her name is Jamie Kern, Lima. She is a young entrepreneur. She was a TV news anchor in her 20s and like a lot of people. She dealt with some real skin issues. And most beauty products didn't actually help her deal with it. And so she had the skill to see a problem and the creativity to solve it.

So she started mixing formulas on her kitchen counter trying to create makeup that worked for real women with real skin. That skill. But what she didn't know was just how much will it was going to take to get that idea off the ground. Every investor she pitched turned her down. Not politely either. Some told her flat out, women won't buy makeup from someone who doesn't look like a model. Imagine hearing that. Not once, but hundreds of times.

So she and her husband maxed out credit cards, couldn't pay themselves a salary, and actually wondered how they would even keep things going. But Jamie kept showing up. She believed in that product more than the rejections that surrounded her. She kept pitching. She kept improving. She kept believing. That's phenomenal will.

And then came the big break. She landed a meeting with QVC, which, if you're in the beauty world, is like the Super Bowl. She got one shot, just a few minutes of live TV to prove herself. She went on camera, took off her own makeup, showed a real skin. and applied her product right there for the world to see. And in 10 minutes, everything changed. The products sold out, viewers saw themselves in her story. They didn't want perfect.

They want it real. From there, it cosmetics exploded. Years later, Jamie sold the company to L'Oreal for $1.2 billion and became the first female CEO in L'Oreal's 100-year history. Now, here's what I love about Jamie's story. Phenomenal skill helped her make a great product. A phenomenal will helped her survive thousands of nose. She didn't get lucky.

She got gritty. And here's where it gets practical for you and me. You may not be building a billion-dollar makeup company, but you've got something you're working on that requires will power. Maybe it's the classroom you lead, the team you manage, the business you're trying to grow, or the family you're simply trying to hold together. Your will shows up when you walk into a meeting with a smile

even though your last idea got shut down. Your will shows up when you keep applying for jobs after five rejections. Your will shows up when you keep serving people who may never say thank you. Your will shows up when you keep loving your family well after a tough season. And here's the best part. Phenomenal will isn't reserved for the elite. You don't need a platform or spot. light to habit. You just need a decision. Every time you decide to keep showing up, even when it's hard,

you're building phenomenal will. Skill may give you the ability to start, but will gives you the power to finish. Skill can open the door, but will is what keeps you in the room. Skill is how you play the game, but will is how you keep playing, even when you're losing. So wherever you are today, I'm going to encourage you. Keep showing up. Keep doing the work. Keep choosing the hard that helps you become who you actually want to be. Because when phenomenal skill meets phenomenal will, you're impossible to be. My friends, thank you so much for listening to the Ryan League podcast. If today's episode added value to your life or inspired you in any way, shape, or form, I would ask you not to keep it to yourself. Share it with the friend. And hey, it would mean the world to me if you would take a moment to rate review, and subscribe. Your support helps us reach even more people with these short and sweet nuggets of inspiration. And hey, we send out an encouraging text message each and every week. If you'd like to subscribe to those, you can text the word podcast to 469-809-1-201, and you'll start getting some encouraging text messages for me each and every week. My friends, thank you so much for being a part

of the journey, and we'll see you next week.