I went to Japan for three weeks thinking I was taking a trip.

I wasn’t.

I went during the biggest transition of my life at 39 years old, a brand new rebranded podcast, a public pivot away from everything I’d been building for years. I thought Japan would give me great content. What it actually gave me was something I didn’t expect and couldn’t fully plan for.

In this episode I’m talking about what happens when you take yourself somewhere completely unfamiliar and everything you use to define yourself stops working.

And what’s left is just you.

Note… my laptop died mid-recording so this episode ends abruptly. I thought about not posting it. But that felt too clean for what this trip actually was.

Out Loud.

In this episode, I talk honestly about something I’ve been realizing lately… how social media, pressure, performance, and constantly trying to “say the right thing”, slowly made me lose touch with parts of myself.

While being out here in Japan, I’ve had time to reflect on creativity, identity, authenticity, purpose, burnout, content creation, and what it actually means to feel like yourself again.

I talk about:
- overthinking your voice online
- feeling pressure to always sound deep or inspirational
- social media performance vs real personality
- why culture, music, sports, humor, and creativity matter to me
- becoming more expressive and honest
- rediscovering joy in creating again
- why people connect more with authenticity than perfection

This episode is for creators, entrepreneurs, artists, high performers, and anyone who feels like they’ve been disconnected from themselves trying to become who they thought they were supposed to be.

Recorded in Japan.

#podcast #selfdevelopment #creativity #mindset #authenticity #socialmedia #identity #selfgrowth #mentalhealth #motivation #creator #culture #podcasting #personaldevelopment

Sports Illustrated dropped a Top 20 WWE Superstars of All Time list, and I had two major problems with it: Triple H being ranked over Shawn Michaels, and Roman Reigns being placed in the top 5 already.

In this episode of Out Loud with Aaron Simpson, I break down why Shawn Michaels should be ranked above Triple H, why Roman Reigns is one of the most important stars of this era but not top 5 all time yet, and what actually makes a WWE superstar great.

We’re talking Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Roman Reigns, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Bret Hart, CM Punk, and why wrestling fans will never agree on all-time rankings.

I have some thoughts!