Direct Your Life

About Direct Your Life

Stop the reruns. Take back control. Make your life better than any movie. That's the mission of "Direct Your Life," a weekly show hosted by film director and author Tony Suriano. Each episode fuses story, psychology, and mindset mastery to keep you directing your next scene with purpose—and live a life worth watching.

Publisher

Tony Suriano

Category

education · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Jan 2025

Latest episode

27 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

61 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Sept 2026

   61. Austin Netzley — Make Yourself Less Necessary: How Better Systems Create More Freedom

   What if the secret to building an 8-figure business isn't grinding harder—but building systems that make you less necessary? Austin Netzley is an entrepreneur, author, and the founder and CEO of 2X and Operations.com, where he's worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs to build better systems, scale their businesses, and reclaim their time. He's also the author of The 2-Week Vacation Test and From 6 to 7 Figures. We discuss why a successful business shouldn't only produce revenue and profit—it should produce time freedom. Austin breaks down how to build systems that operate without you, use AI and automation intelligently, manage your energy instead of obsessing over your time, and create systems for your life—not only your business. We discuss: ▪️ The Three Pillars of a Healthy Business — Why revenue growth, profitability, and time freedom all matter—and what happens when your business still depends on you. ▪️ The 2-Week Vacation Test — Why stepping away from your business exposes weak systems and builds the muscle required for real freedom. ▪️ Physical Triggers & The Wrap-Up Routine — How a 5-minute end-of-day reflection and simple physical cues can close mental loops and keep work from following you home. ▪️ AI-Powered Operations — How entrepreneurs can use AI and automation to streamline fulfillment and growth without removing the human element. ▪️ Designing a Level 10 Life — How Austin maps the areas that matter most—wealth, health, relationships, family—and builds systems around them. ▪️ The 12-Year Family Commitment — How Austin created a recurring travel system to stay deeply connected with family across the country. ▪️ Energy Management vs. Time Management — Why so much of our energy gets spent on things that don't matter—and how auditing your week can expose what needs to be eliminated, delegated, or systemized. ▪️ The Morning Clap Trigger — Austin's 30-second Jerry Maguire-inspired ritual for intentionally stepping into a positive, high-energy state. This conversation is part operations masterclass, part lifestyle blueprint, and a reminder that the point of better systems isn't doing more work—it's creating more freedom for what actually matters. ☕ FUEL YOUR DIRECTION I've been drinking Danger Coffee for over two years. It's mold-tested, toxin-screened, and remineralized with 50+ trace minerals. Get 15% off: dangercoffee.com/directyourlife Or use code TONY #dangerpartner — I earn a commission (and you get a discount) when you use my link or code. THE DIRECTOR'S TOOLKIT FROM THIS EPISODE 📘 The 2-Week Vacation Test by Austin Netzley https://amzn.to/4Aztg6b (https://amzn.to/4Aztg6b) 🌐 Operations.com 🌐 2X.co (https://2x.co/) 📱 Connect with Austin instagram.com/netzley TIMESTAMPS (00:00:00) Intro (00:00:38) Show Bumper (00:01:00) Meet Austin Netzley — Freedom over hustle and building leverage (00:02:40) Why Systems Matter — The 3 pillars of a healthy business (00:06:50) Mentally Detaching — The 2-Week Vacation Test and physical triggers (00:10:30) The Wrap-Up Routine — Closing open loops before going home (00:12:15) Rapid Fire Fun Questions — Ocean's 11, The ONE Thing, and egg timers (00:14:40) AI-Powered Operations — Transforming small-business workflows (00:18:30) AI in Marketing & Fulfillment — Customizing experiences in real time (00:23:00) Defining Success — Mapping out a Level 10 Life (00:25:15) Strategic Family Systems — 12 years of monthly travel and uncle trips (00:29:00) The Energy Audit Challenge — What are you repeatedly doing that you can systemize? (00:32:00) Energy Management vs. Time Management — Cutting the energy-draining 80% (00:34:00) The Morning Clap Trigger — Jerry Maguire, positivity, and garage workouts (00:40:00) Legacy & Eulogy — Becoming the "dopest family man of all time" (00:47:30) What Does It Mean to Direct Your Life? — Austin's definition Direct Your Life: ▪️ Download the free One-Page Direct Your Day Sheet — tonysuriano.com/directyourday (https://tonysuriano.com/directyourday) ▪️ Get your copy of Direct Your Life Or Someone Else Will book here — directyourlifebook.com ▪️ Direct Your Life Weekly: Mindset tools, real stories, and weekly fuel to direct your life: tonysuriano.com/newsletter ⭐️  Follow the show so you never miss an episode, leave a review/rating, and share this with someone who needs it. Thank you for being here, Tony Follow me around internet town @tonysuriano 📺 YouTube: youtube.com/@TonySuriano 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/tonysuriano 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/TonySurianoDYL 🎵 Tiktok: tiktok.com/@tonysuriano Tony Suriano 🌐 Book Tony for speaking or podcast interviews: tonysuriano.com/speaker

2. 

   29 Aug 2026

   60. Jake Staley — Be Aggressive With Your Habits: Why Two Hard Weeks Can Change Everything

   What if the secret to conquering creative burnout isn't resting more—but doing the hard things that scare you? Jake Staley is a hit television and film composer who has created music for major projects like The Five-Star Weekend on Peacock, ABC's number-one network show High Potential, and the highly anticipated upcoming season of The Last of Us on HBO. We discuss why waiting for inspiration is a trap and how true creative freedom is built through aggressive self-discipline. We also break down the concept of the "Buffer Period" and "Doorway Triggers" to help you shut off the noise of your work so you can stay fully present with the people who matter most. We discuss: ▪️ Projecting the Placebo — How acting with confidence before you actually have it builds the momentum that makes success a self-fulfilling prophecy. ▪️ The "Hard Two Weeks" Rule — Why slow, incremental habits often fail and why aggressively stacking multiple hard challenges rewires your brain faster. ▪️ Controlling the Controllable — How taking ruthless ownership of your physical health, diet, and movement builds mental armor against professional rejection. ▪️ The 50% Battle — Why doing the exact things you absolutely hate (like hitting freezing water or lacing up for a run) is the ultimate victory over your mind. ▪️ The 4:45 AM Routine — How Jake structures his mornings so he can be completely present for his family by 3:00 PM. ▪️ The Buffer Period — A tactical 5-minute decompression transition to prepare your brain for "not working" before you walk through your front door. ▪️ Decisive Vision — Why "indecision is the only wrong decision" and what working with top Hollywood showrunners teaches you about leadership. ▪️ Self-Awareness vs. Woo-Woo — Why "thinking about what you are thinking about" is the ultimate adult superpower. This conversation is part creative masterclass, part mental conditioning system, and part reminder that when you take control of what you can—you rewrite the script of your life. TIMESTAMPS (00:00:00) Intro (00:00:38) Show Bumper (00:01:00) Meet Jake Staley (00:02:40) Creative Burnout & Staying Enthusiastic (00:06:50) Projecting Confidence — Turning false confidence into a self-fulfilling prophecy (00:11:15) Desktop Drumming — How failing to sit still in school paved the way for a 19-year music career (00:18:30) Controlling the Controllable — Shifting habits aggressively to break a cycle of defeats (00:24:10) Stacking the Hard Stuff — Why Jake advocates for a brutal "two-week rewire" over tiny habit changes (00:32:45) Defeating the 50% — The mental victory of doing the physical things you absolutely hate (00:41:15) The 4:45 AM Routine — Organizing your workday so you're fully available for your kids by 3:00 PM (00:47:20) The Work-Life Transition — Using buffer periods and Brendon Burchard's doorway triggers (00:53:10) Thinking About Your Thoughts — Why self-awareness is the differentiator of a true grown-up (00:57:45) Lessons from Hollywood Showrunners — Why indecision is the ultimate wrong decision (01:01:20) What does it mean to direct your life? Jake's definition Direct Your Life: ▪️ Download the free One-Page Direct Your Day Sheet — tonysuriano.com/directyourday (https://tonysuriano.com/directyourday) ▪️ Get your copy of Direct Your Life Or Someone Else Will book here — directyourlifebook.com ▪️ Direct Your Life Weekly: Mindset tools, real stories, and weekly fuel to direct your life: tonysuriano.com/newsletter ⭐️  Follow the show so you never miss an episode, leave a review/rating, and share this with someone who needs it. Thank you for being here, Tony Follow me around internet town @tonysuriano 📺 YouTube: youtube.com/@TonySuriano 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/tonysuriano 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/TonySurianoDYL 🎵 Tiktok: tiktok.com/@tonysuriano Tony Suriano 🌐 Book Tony for speaking or podcast interviews: tonysuriano.com/speaker

3. 

   18 Aug 2026

   59. Sergeant Major Steve Balczo — Lead From the Bottom, Find Your Coordinates & Earn the Next Rank

   What if the best leaders aren't at the top of the pyramid—but underneath it? Steve Balczo is the Executive Director of Veteran Services and a retired Marine Sergeant Major whose leadership perspective was forged over a 29-year career in the Marine Corps. We discuss why true growth isn't about waiting for a promotion—it's about demonstrating the skills of the next level before the "rank" ever changes. We also break down the military concept of resection: finding your true coordinates on the map so you can stop drifting and start directing your life with military precision. We discuss: ▪ Leadership vs. management — why great leaders eventually work themselves out of a job. ▪ The Ladder of Hope — why growth requires finding a new ladder to climb, regardless of your age or success. ▪ The Life Resection — a Marine navigation technique Steve uses to figure out where you actually are when you feel lost in the current scene. ▪ The Director's Window — how Steve's 4:15 AM ritual creates stability before the rest of the world starts making demands. ▪ Turning setbacks into coordinates — how two major layoffs eventually led Steve to his next opportunities instead of becoming the end of the story. ▪ The upside-down leadership pyramid — why leadership becomes less about being seen and more about removing barriers for the people around you. ▪ The Bulletized Reset — a ridiculously simple technique for protecting your flow and getting back into deep work after interruptions. ▪ Editing your life without deleting the bad scenes — why mistakes, potholes, and setbacks may contain some of your most valuable material. This conversation is part leadership lesson, part life-navigation system, and part reminder that no matter where you are on the map—you can find your coordinates and call the next shot. (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:25) Meeting Steve — The power of presence, humor, and a clean slate (00:04:05) Rapid Fire Fun Questions — Breaking the ice and getting behind the "Sergeant Major" exterior (00:06:15) Leadership vs. Management — Why true leadership means working yourself out of a job (00:11:00) The Ladder of Hope — Why humans crave growth and age is never a limiter (00:20:45) The Resection Technique — A Marine method for finding exactly where you are on the life map (00:28:10) The Director's Window — Steve's 4:15 AM ritual for building hope and stability before the world breaks in (00:36:00) The Oracle Shift — Turning two major layoffs into opportunities by staying present and open (00:46:20) The Upside-Down Pyramid — Shifting from "look at me" leadership to removing barriers for your team (00:59:15) Editing Your Script — Why the potholes and mistakes in your past are teaching moments worth keeping (01:11:30) Protecting the Flow — Using white noise and a "bulletized format" to resume deep work after interruptions Direct Your Life: ▪️ Download the free One-Page Direct Your Day Sheet — tonysuriano.com/directyourday (https://tonysuriano.com/directyourday) ▪️ Get your copy of Direct Your Life Or Someone Else Will book here — directyourlifebook.com (https://directyourlifebook.com/) ▪️ Direct Your Life Weekly: Mindset tools, real stories, and weekly fuel to direct your life: tonysuriano.com/newsletter ⭐️  Follow the show so you never miss an episode, leave a review/rating, and share this with someone who needs it. Thank you for being here, Tony Follow me around internet town @tonysuriano 📺 YouTube: youtube.com/@TonySuriano 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/tonysuriano 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/TonySurianoDYL 🎵 Tiktok: tiktok.com/@tonysuriano Tony Suriano 🌐 Book Tony for speaking or podcast interviews: tonysuriano.com/speaker

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

527,403

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

9 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 69 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

73

Social presence

94

YouTube

82

Engagement

32

Contact Direct Your Life

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.