Wake Up to Wealth - Building Bridges with Podcasts

Episode Date: September 5, 2025

In episode 45 of Wake Up to Wealth, Brandon Brittingham interviews Sebastian Rusk, Podcast Launch Strategist, Podcast Coach, Host of PodcastsSUCK, as he discusses the importance of sharing knowledge, building relationships, and the unique opportunities that arise from hosting a podcast.Tune in for insights on wealth building and the journey that led to the creation of this impactful show.SOCIAL MEDIA LINKSBrandon BrittinghamInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mailboxmoneyb/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandon.brittingham.1/ Sebastian RuskInstagram: Instagram.com/PodcastsSUCKFacebook: Facebook.com/sruskLinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/sebastianrusk/YouTube: Youtube.com/@PodcastLaunchLab WEBSITESBrandon Brittingham: https://www.brandonsbrain.org/home==========================Need help launching a podcast?Book a call with Sebastian here:PodcastLaunchLabNow.com==========================SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:Paramount Property Tax Appeal: https://www.paramountpropertytaxappeal.com/MS Consultants: https://www.costsegs.com/Email Carson at The Money Multiplier: [e-mail]: https://rocketly.ai/

This is Wake Up to Wealth, a podcast dedicated to helping you change the way you think about wealth. And now, here's your host, Brandon Brittingham. Hey, are you ready to take the next step towards homeownership? At Responsive Mortgage, the guys that we trust, they make the process simple and tailored to your needs. Whether you're a first-time homebuyer or looking to refinance, their expert team is to help guide you every step of the way. With competitive rates and personalized solutions, they find the right mortgage fit for you. Visit responsivemortgage.com today and let them help lead you home. And these guys, Responsive Mortgage and Mike Benton are my friends and they're a sponsor of the show.

So we trust them. Reach out to them for all your mortgage needs. Tell them I sent you. What is up, everybody? And we are back with another episode. And I know I've said thank you every episode. But man, thank you guys. If you go on right now, if you go on the subcategory of investing, not only are we number one on iTunes or Apple, whatever. We are also the Carousel ad is the most popular show coming up above. many other folks. The other thing, the unintended things that have happened, a lot of you have reached out to me for investment advice, money advice. I've had, I've been able to connect with so many people to actually help you guys.

You're listening to the show and you're going into action to work on your wealth. And that is why we designed this. Now, today, this is really fucking cool because I would not be here. with this show if it wasn't for this guy. I've got my good friend Sebastian Rusk on the show today. Thank you, sir. Hey, it's great to be here, Brandon. So I got him on today because this guy told me years ago you should start a podcast.

And this is the guy that is behind the scenes that help us put the show together, helps us run the show. It does this for other people too. but was the first person that really was like, dude, you need to do this. And he stayed on me. And I think there was probably about a year gap from,

you know, when he's like, bro, you need to do this to when I actually just did it. But he stayed on me. And I, I can't thank him enough because we're one of the biggest shows in the United States. And this is the guy that convinced me to do it.

So thank you. And the pleasure is all mine. I'm like I always tell people, I didn't do anything. You did it. I was just a vessel to help you realize what's possible. Well, you convinced me to do it, you know, which is, you know, I'm, I'm a entrepreneur. I got a lot of shit going on all the time. And I just, frankly, didn't see the value in doing it initially.

Now, God, I wish I would have done it sooner. But I want you to talk about this a little bit. Because you know way more about this than I do. But I think a testament to this is how people consume information now, how people consume marketing, where people go for advice, right? You told me from the beginning, bro, your show is going to blow up. Like, it's just you're going to crush it, right? And I was just like, yeah, I don't know what that means, right? And there was a lot of things that I'd rather you tell it than me that you talked about of, hey, this is.

why a podcast works. So I'd love for you to share that and break that down because I'm literally a testament of this shit. Yeah, and I'm really proud of the work that you put in and you are hands down. One of the wealthiest and busy, pun intended, busiest guys and friends that I have. And you still made it a priority. I often bring you up as a case study and the talks that I get the opportunity to give because you're a true testament to somebody who didn't need to start a podcast.

You could, if you wanted to, would you be good at it and would it be successful? Probably, but it's not a, we don't have to do anything, but we get to do everything. And I think that something that a lot of successful entrepreneurs like yourself have embraced is that once you reach a certain level of success, it now becomes your responsibility to share what you know and continue. to create relationships and conversations around what you know as well as who you know. And there's not a better platform than podcasting to actually allow that to take place. I firmly believe, Brandon, that starting a podcast will radically change your life and your business if you let it. I'm living proof of that. You're living proof of that. We have a roster of clients here at the podcast launch lab that we've been able to do that

same exact thing. But most people never get started because of their stupid excuses. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. I'm too busy. I'll do this. We'll start after Q3, after Q12, after money's not funny anymore, after the sun doesn't come up and cows don't move. Instead of just saying, I'm doing this because I said that I'm going to do it. And I don't know why I'm doing this. The Martin Luther King Jr. staircase quote, you don't need the whole staircase. You just need to see the first step. And after that, the next step. Well, here we are, fast forward two years later. And this podcast has yielded opportunities that you couldn't have predicted if you tried.

And that's just a testament to showing up saying, I don't know what's on the other side of this, but there's something on the other side of it. Yeah, I mean, 100%. You know, I think the other thing that's been really cool about this journey is our intention was only to, give information that we know that we know the average person doesn't have access to, right, on investing on wealth, on mindset, on all of it, and not bullshit and not, you know, some guru that I don't know and is not battle tested, right? And I think the other thing is, uh, sometimes this is the best way for it to happen.

I had no intention of it being this big, like no intention. So if you're listening to this, this is a true testament to, like, we are not going to focus and care about the outcome. We are just going to focus and care about the content, right? And I did a social media post the other day. This is just part and parcel with this, where I just wrote a simple post about, hey, we're thinking about selling your house in today's market. Here's what you need to know about not overpricing it.

Very, very simple. And, dude, it's freaking going viral. Like, it's insane how viral it's no intention, you know, hey, this is information the market needs. I'm just going to put it out there really quick. And I went on with my day. And then, like, I wake up the next day and it's like 500 shares, you know, I think we're up to 150,000 views on that post, whatever the case is. But the reason why I'm telling you guys this is that if you are on the fence about a podcast or you're like, I don't really know, we had no. intention of it being this big.

The intention was only to give good content for you guys to hear. That was it. That was it. I saw you on, you were on this upswing from when you really wanted to step out of your own little bubble there in, uh, in the, in the, in the, in the northeast, uh, of the states here, um, where it was like, hey, successful, uh, real estate firm done a lot, been in the game for a minute, done really well. got a great team around me.

But then you started getting in the right rooms. And those right rooms led you to the right people. And those right people led you to the right stages. And now you're a very much in-demand keynote speaker and damn good at what you do. But being able to identify talent early on, I just knew it. It's kind of like cool. And you describe cool? No, you just know it when you see it.

And I knew that the brand that you were building, the personal brand as Brandon Brittingham, brand as Brandon Brittingham, say that fast three times, was evolving. And as you continue to meet new people and identify new opportunities and get in new rooms and get on new stages, that's why I kept staying on you going, Brandon, the time is right now. Because if you're already making these connections offline, what happens when you were either furthering the relationship or, hey, that's a stage I'd like to be on. That's a room. I'd like to be in. Let me invite these individuals on the podcast and ask them what their definition of waking up to wealth is. So I firmly believe that part of radically changing your life and

your business with a podcast, there's a lot of variables involved with that. Number one being it's a bridge builder. And building a bridge in between where you are and where you want to be, who you know and who you want to know is something that has always been. around, but now it's at scale and done with ease and grace through means of saying, hey, Brandon, I'd love to get you on the podcast. Most people don't decline that offer. Hey, Brandon, I'd love to take you out to lunch. I'll let you know. Hey, Brandon, I'd love to pick your brain. Yeah, I'll let you know. Get in line. Hey, Brandon, love to have a coffee with you. You're busier than a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest. Coffee, lunch, brain picking.

really an opportunity. Me putting you in the spotlight, me inviting you on to my podcast, telling your story, making it all about you, building rapport with you by default. And then at the end of the interview, being able to chop it up for a few minutes and just identify. Is there any way that we can support each other? That's the very grassroots approach of being able to leverage a podcast to grow your business and meet people and network. I read a quote yesterday. on a podcast episode I was recording for podcast suck, and it said, be everywhere without being everywhere. And wow, is that not a definition of networking with your podcast? Hey, this next segment is brought to you, but my good friends at rocketly.ai, that is rocketly.

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Yeah, you said something earlier, and you said this to me before we started, and I think it's powerful. I think one of the issues that people have sometimes is they forget in the minutia of what you do every day. You become an expert. It becomes second nature. You figure it out. But you forget how good you are.

And one of the things you said to me, before I started the podcast, you were. was, bro, you know so much in your industry and your space, people need to, you need to pass that down, you need to share it. And that really stuck with me. And the reason why I'm saying that is because there's a lot of people that listen to this that are entrepreneurs and business people. And like, we talk about this all the time with coaching clients that I have of like this fucking identity shit and this imposter syndrome shit that people have. But whatever you do, you are probably an expert above 98% of the people you know what I mean in the world and you have a responsibility to share and people want to hear that and they want to listen and I think that that

is like if you're listening to this of like man I don't I don't know that I have enough to talk about you have way more to talk about than you think and then think about your network to Sebastian's point of man I've had people get on this podcast that would not go to a lunch or a coffee with me because they're huge titans of industry, but would get on a podcast and a heartbeat. And that's some pretty cool shit. Yeah. I mean,

I started doing this 15 years ago because I had like six bucks to my name. And I started my podcast on Blog Talk Radio, which was an online radio platform. And then I quickly realized it would give me an RSS feed. And that RSS feed would allow me to submit. it on to SoundCloud, and then SoundCloud led me to Apple. And next thing I know, I have an online radio show I used to call, and that was a podcast, but I would be able to meet.

I mean, I'm friends with Gary Vaynerchuk and have been for 15 years because I invited him on my podcast, had the opportunity to interview him multiple times when people could barely spell his name and definitely didn't know who the heck he was. And I just was able to, and that's not a name drop opportunity. that's just, you know, the way things panned out early on. And I thought, wait a second, we are on to something here. We are on the midst of a fundamental shift in the way we communicate and the way that we network and the way that we get introductions done.

And I think that now more than ever, because everyone is acclimated, either listens to podcast or knows about podcast, there hasn't been an easier way to connect with people. And that's specifically what we teach and empower business owners and entrepreneurs to do. Sebastian, why should I start a podcast? I've identified three reasons based on my own experience and based on what we get to teach. Brandon, you live this out as well. First reason, start a podcast to interview people that you want to do business with and build a relationship with. Back to the bridge building tactic.

Number two, get your social media content game in check and consistent because of the podcast. One podcast episode, multiple pieces of microcontent for Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, wherever you hang out and wherever the eyeballs are, allowing you to double down on not only do I have a podcast episode, but I'm also showing up in the news feed. And the third reason is becoming a better communicator. As professional communicators, you and I understand the art and the craft. Most people are absolutely terrified. there's a stat out there that some of you have probably heard that people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is dying. So I'm trying to better understand how all that pans out. But a podcast forces you in front of a camera, forces you on a microphone. And then when you're

interviewing people that you want something from, you're going to show up and you're on the hook. So I call it involuntary accountability. Because now, Now you have to show up. And the more reps we get in and the more we do this, your first episode probably sucked. Mine was terrible. That is part of the game. But if you look back to, you know, you fast forward two years later, you found your rhythm, you found your voice, you found your pacing and your cadence and how you actually do it.

And that's what a lot of people try to, I think that's where the water gets muddy down a little bit. Brandon, is that people want to emulate other people. start working with me for the first time. They say, well, I don't sound like you. And I said, thank God. Could you imagine if everybody sounded the same exact way? Right, right. We need you to be able to be 100% you. This is creating a new identity. This is enabling you. And I'm going to talk about this next week when we're in Dallas for your event about communication and how it's so vital. But the first step in creating a good means of communication, for yourself and speaking well and speaking intelligently is being willing to give up who you've

become to be who you are. And that's a challenging thought for most people because they haven't stopped for a second to even ponder that. And then in addition to that, my signature question to ask people, because I was asked this some 15 years ago, and it woke me up immediately and changed everything. And that question was, who's missing out? Because you're not showing up. And when you hear that, that should rattle you to your core and wake you up to realizing that this experience that we're all in together called life is all about what we can do to lift as we climb. What can we do to pour into other people? Because the money's not going to do it. The things aren't going to do it. The person isn't going to do it, but knowing that we're pouring into other

people and leaving them better than we found them, that's going to fill your cup every single time. And I know that that seems, well, what does that have to do with starting a podcast or having a podcast? Friends, I'm here to tell you today it has to do with everything pertaining to it. The podcast, recording the episode, is such a tiny little part of it. Who you get to become, that's the big picture. Yeah, that's powerful. Along those lines, too, right? You know, so obviously I became more cognizance of having a podcast,

but if you look at social media, if you look at things that dominate on social media now, the virality of certain clips of certain things, a lot of it is in a podcast format. Like, as we are moving, you know, as human beings, beings of communication to this. I listen, I never talk politics on here. Listen, I don't care if you're a Republican Democrat.

You don't, what party support doesn't matter to me. But if you look at the election, you had multiple candidates during the run, especially close to the election, go on multiple podcasts, right? And the biggest ones out there. Correct. And a majority of them were comedians. So that's the world that we're living in right now. Now, they said, fuck the traditional media interviews that are going to flip the script

and change the narrative. Let's go to Theo Vaughn that's going to crack me up and talk about what it's like, do cocaine all night and feel like a mechanic on your front porch. Yeah, yeah. But what I think is so cool about that is if you look at a lot of viral clips and headlines and different things, now a lot of times things are breaking on podcast. Like, stories are coming out of podcasts, big stories, big headlines, big viral clips. And again, I just think that I didn't recognize this at the time when you told me to do it.

I recognize it now that this, if, look, if you're going to build a business and you want to grow and you've got to be on social media, I don't give a shit when anybody says, I really think this, I think a podcast has to be a part of your strategy. Now, admittedly, this shit was all over. And I was like, ah, you know, and you're like, dude, this is not difficult. It's not difficult, right? And admittedly, I didn't know you made it easy. But if you wouldn't mind, just kind of share that because I think that one of the hurdles and the things that people are scared of is like, I don't know how to produce a show. I don't know how to do this.

I don't know who do that. Like, what the fuck do I do? Right. And then that's the number one mistake a lot of people make is I'm going to record the episode. edit the episode, create the micro clips, upload them, schedule it, and then I'm going to rinse and repeat that process. And that's just not realistic because that starts to eventually feel like work. And when it feels like work, it's not fun. And when it's not fun, we quit. That's just human nature. So what I've been able to identify are all of the pain points

that successful business owners and entrepreneurs could potentially experience and are experiencing when starting a podcast and removed all of those obstacles out of their way. So the only thing they're left to do is record the episode, upload the raw content, and move on with their day. So we created a 90-day completely done for you, podcast-launch solution to take you from ID at iTunes in 90 days or less so you can grow your business with it by networking with whoever you want, become a better communicator, get your social media content game and check and consistent because of microcontent.

We help you create that entire brand strategy, idea, concept, who you're talking to, what you're talking about, how you're talking about it, when you're talking about it, how to talk, how to sound, how to interview every single thing you could ever possibly need in order to launch a podcast, including your first two episodes in 90 days. And then we launched the show. After we launched the show, you immediately go into our 12-month incubator that allows us to continue to produce four episodes a month for you, one episode a week,

and 12 pieces of micro content from those four episodes. So for every episode, you're getting some reels, clips, some stuff to post on socials, in addition to the fully produced podcast episode. And I think that's been a huge contribution to the success of our company because we have targeted busy, successful, seven and nine figure business owners and entrepreneurs want to start a podcast, don't want to do it on their own, have no desire to figure it out on their own, want to work with the best and want to get there yesterday. So creating this completely done for you and also a done with you,

because we're not recording the podcast episodes, but we've got it to a point where we're doing just about everything short of recording the actual episodes for you so that you can do what you do best, which is run your business and continue to grow your business without having to worry about all the heavy lifting out there. And that's, that's been the biggest challenge with the podcast procrastinators is what I like to refer to them as. You're sitting there and you're just revving the car, revving the, revving the engine and park and you're not going anywhere because you're a little concerned to spend a little cash and say, hey, you know, like my coach, Dan Martel says in his bestselling book, buy back your time.

It's all about buying back your time. What tasks are you spending time on right now that are costing you more money than actually making you and outsourcing and having an agency that handles your podcast is the ultimate way to buy back your time when it comes to content, when it comes to networking, et cetera. So shout out to Dan Martell. If you wouldn't mind also, just your context and take on this, you know, why have podcasts become such a huge forum, you know, of media, you know, why, why are more and more people moving to this is how they digest content? Like, I mean, think about it. It is freaking blown up,

right? I mean, it is, it is a big, big part of the way most people consume content now. Yep. It sure is. Well, if we look at YouTube, YouTube's the new cable TV and then streaming, and then podcasts are the new radio. And the reason so many people have gravitated to it is the barrier to entry is nil, unfortunately, and fortunately. And then the red tape has been removed. Prior to this, if you, 20 years ago, if you got a radio deal, you'd have some guy in a bad suit and dimples in a corner office in New York telling you what you can or cannot say. And in the event, you slip on that, you're out because that's just the way it's always been. It was controlled by a couple guys in bad suits that own the network.

or the station or whatever. And that still exists today. But you're seeing guys like Tucker Carlson and the host of other people that have been fired from their jobs go, no problem. And good paying jobs at that say, no problem. Because I'm going to take my show to Twitter. And then we're going to turn into a podcast. Blow up.

And it explodes. The amount of money that that guys like Tucker Carlson or it doesn't matter right, left, wherever you're at, there's a bunch of people, a bunch of guys from CNN that have gotten fired and gone out on their own and done their own thing. That's why these days, when you see show host or news anchors or whatever it may be, notable names get fired, yeah, it initially is like, no way.

And then most of them are like, yeah, way, hold my beer, watch this next move. So I think that it's just where and how we communicate now. and the barrier to entry is that's been the greatest thing about social media is that it's afforded the opportunity, specifically podcasting. It's given anybody the opportunity to have a platform and a voice and actually go do something with it. Yeah, Joe Budden, as an example, had a big deal with Spotify and said no to it. And, you know, just something they just put out that he's grossing seven figures a month

just because he went independent with his podcast. I mean, it's pretty freaking wild. Well, I don't know if you saw the news this morning, but, you know, Sirius XM's getting ready to bounce Howard Stern if they haven't already. I don't think Howard's concerned. I just don't at all. Because, I mean, he was great in the 90s

with all of his characters and prior to that when he was really like a true shock jock. Now he's become more of a political advocate, still kind of Howard Stern on here, but very vocal with his appearance. opinions, which is a terrible thing to do when somebody else writes your paycheck and you're part of a gigantic media conglomerate like Sirius XM. So I was reading a few articles on that. I say that to say this, pretty sure Stern's not too concerned about it. But if you look at how

things are starting to transpire on where it's all out, if this happened 15 years ago, he'd be screwed, blued and tattooed. But now the odds of him going and starting his own podcast, keeping everything in house, keeping all the sponsorship dollars. that's a that's probably the main benefit all the sponsorship dollars and being able to say whatever he wants when he wants recording wherever he wants it's you know i read that article this morning and i'm like he doesn't give a rip a he inked a 10 you know a 10 year deal initially back in 2005 i think for 500 million and then i think you reupped for another five years and was hoping to re-up for another five now doesn't look like that's going to take place but i'm sure the howard stern show will be coming to

podcast platforms, you know, very, very soon. Yeah. No, I agree with you. And I did see that today. So I'm going to ask you one last question and then I want you to be able to share how people can get in touch with you. I always ask people to wake up to wealth question, but I want to ask you a different question because I do think it's important.

Again, it's what you or why we are here. Just if you were to sum it up into one sentence for an entrepreneur or anyone listening to this why do they need a podcast well unless you hate money you want a podcast so that you can network with people that you want to build a relationship that's first and foremost if that's the only thing you leverage a podcast for fantastic in fact i do have clients that that's all they care about they don't care about the content they don't care about like the content of the clips and none of that i got one guy here in in miami that's in my local networking b and i chapter his name's Kevin Spencer. He's got a podcast called retail checks and balances. He sells point of sale

hardware to retail locations. So everything up to swipe in the card, all the hardware rewards program. He's been with us about 18 months now. He's made $225,000 by just interviewing retail locations. He'll text me every other month, just made another 40,000 one podcast interview. I think the last time he hit me up, he goes, hey, who needs sales reps when you got a podcast? Friends, if you're listening to this right now and you've been on the fence, let me gently nudge you off the fence and into the game, the money game that is, the networking game that is, the scaling your business game. Because who you get to become and how your business is impacted is something that you may be grossly under, grossly underrating right now. Because

Brandon and myself and a roster of clients that we have the opportunity to working with, have experienced this, and continue to experience it. That definitely was not a one-sentence answer, but you got me going, so. No worries. Well, for those that are listening, how can you help them like you helps me? How can they get in touch with you? Absolutely. Well, first of all, I have a free gift for all your listeners.

So I want, follow me over on Instagram. The link to my Instagram is going to be provided in the show notes. That's the description of this podcast episode, as well as a link to my account. But if you go to my Instagram handle, which is at podcast suck, that's plural, 2S is podcast plural, at podcast suck, send me a DM with the word wealth, and I've got a free gift for your listeners. So that's first and foremost. Also on my Instagram profile, on my links is an opportunity to book a call with me.

If you want to, my calendar link will be there. Again, all of these links are going to be provided in the show notes. That's the description of this podcast episode. How do I know because we produce this show so I can guarantee you those links are going to be in the show notes on there. But I'm willing to chat with anybody for 15, 20 minutes about what's possible. Not everybody is a fit for our program. These days after doing this for so long, we kind of make our prospects sell us on why we should

work with them on here. But part of attracting the right people and working with the right people and the clients that we have, we always just seem to have the right ones show up. But if you're listening to this and you're a seven to nine figure business and you've been looking to start a podcast, don't know where to start. We have the keys. We have the car. Heck, we even start it for you. All you got to do is jump in and drive.

For those of you that may be listening right now and sitting at your desk, you're like, what's the link, man? The link is podcast launchlab now.com. That's podcast launchlab now.com. That'll bring it right to my calendar yet. You will be speaking with me. I'm not going to delegate to anybody on my team, especially, especially. for friends of Wake Up to Wealth as well. But, man, what a great honor and privilege to be here today, Brandon.

I am so ridiculously proud of you and what you've done and what you've become as a podcaster. I believe two years in, we're just getting started here. And your best days are right in front of. And it's just a privilege to be out, you know, running this thing called life with you. Dude, thank you so much. A, to the listeners out there, thank you guys as well for supporting. And yeah, thanks Sebastian because he convinced me to do it. Appreciate you guys, as always.

See you on the next episode. Thank you for helping us consistently be number one on the investing charts. As always, guys, if you need anything from me, holler at me. Hey, let me tell you with my good friend Jeff Hyatt over at MSC consultants and check out his episode if you've missed it. With today's volatile interest rate environment, real estate investors are looking for every advantage legally available. more and more are realizing that accelerating depreciation allows them to free up cash flow, enabling them to acquire their next property sooner. MSC's approach to call SEGs is the answer.

If you've got properties out there, you haven't done COSSEGs on, you're paying too much in taxes. MSC's approach to COSSEGS is the answer. Visit them at www.com. That's www.calls.com and ask for my good friend Jeff Hyatt. Thanks so much for tuning into this episode of Wake Up to Wealth. We're sure to appreciate it. If you haven't done so already, make sure you're subscribed to the show wherever you consume podcast. This will get updates as new episodes become available.

And if you feel so inclined, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast and tell your friends about the show. It is how new people find us. Until next time. Thank you.