Reset | The Rick H. Show | Ep. 232

After time away from the mic, Rick Hierro returns with one of his most personal episodes yet. In Episode 232, “Reset,” Rick opens up about why he slowed down, the mental battles and pressure he faced behind the scenes, and the fear that comes with putting yourself back out there after feeling lost, stuck, or disconnected from your purpose.

This episode isn’t about pretending to have everything figured out — it’s about growth, reflection, and having the courage to begin again even when it’s uncomfortable. Rick shares lessons he’s learned about himself, the importance of embracing change, and why sometimes the strongest thing you can do is hit reset.

If you’ve ever felt like life forced you to pause, question yourself, or start over… this episode is for you.

Because growth requires you to restart — even when it’s uncomfortable.

🎙️ Welcome back to The Rick H. Show.

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 1:13

Welcome, welcome. Welcome. Oh wait. Oh we already started off wrong. Here we go. Here we go. Here we go. Welcome. Welcome to another episode of the Ray Gate Show. Um but before we begin, let me let's fix the speaker situation. Um can you guys hear me clearly? Yes, no, maybe here we go. Welcome to the Ray Kate Show. I'm your host Ray K for about 2018. I can't really do the math right there. Let me see. 2026 minus 2018. Blah blah blah blah. Eight years. I've been doing, producing, writing, and putting this show together. Um in 20, I think it was 2023 or 2024, I'm not really sure. I decided to rebrand, rename, and do the show over. Um it just felt different. You know, it didn't I wasn't inspired. I wasn't wanting to create, I didn't want to make content, I didn't want to write, I didn't want to produce anything, I was spent, I was exhausted. Um and I've done a lot and I had done a lot for um a lot of other creatives and in this space. So a lot of things were happening personally to me, and I decided to uh not do this podcast anymore. Now, originally um I had signed an agreement to be under a podcast network, the first one that I was signed to. Um, I'm not gonna say any names. It went pretty good for uh we had a good 12-13 month run with that network. Um, I made some income off the show. It was a good uh foot in the door, it was a good learning experience for me. Um, I ran advertisements on my show for the first time ever. And it was um yeah, I was excited. It felt like this was going somewhere, you know. After so long of working and working and working, I I I have put in a solid five years before I made any money off this show. And if that's why they say if if if you're if you're not looking to grind and hustle and and and love what you do for five years, then maybe you shouldn't do it. So I'm about to go on TikTok live. Something I've been doing now while I what I welcome, welcome TikTok. So I was grinding for a really long time doing this show. Um, I was starting to hit my stride, and um before we used to do seasons, so I was doing season four of the pod. Uh, we had a successful run. We were doing live in-person interviews, I had someone producing the show, I had someone recording, editing, putting everything together. We had some fantastic guests. We had Nueva York, we had um shout out to Tyler River, uh Pedico Limited, um Ed Grant. If you don't know who Ed Grant is, please look it up. Uh Sasha Mercy. We had so many great guests in season four, and we were able to shoot out of the monkey room. We did, you know, Os Rodriguez, we did some celebrities, BB Inc. Shout out to BB Ing de Lomeo. Um, and it it was going places the show, but I hadn't made any money. I started recording the show uh in 20. In I started recording the show in 2018 of September, right? So I grind for five years. I finally signed to a network in 2021, 2022. Um, it was an exciting time. It felt like I all my hard work had paid off. Um, and I uh I learned the the advertisement and creative business side of it with that network, right? So I learned what a net pay was, I learned what spots were, I learned what a copy was, I learned how to write copies, I learned how to uh do ad insertions, I learned how to run a network basically. I learned how to recruit, I learned how to sign people to a podcast network. Um, I learned how to launch podcasts in 2021, and I had just put purchased a home. I had a space, which is where I'm recording out of now, to be able to create the content. You know, my family was growing, and my wife was pregnant with our second child, so it was an exciting time. Um, I did uh COVID hit. I had to change my strategy, I had to go virtual, I couldn't do in-person recording anymore. And um all of a sudden, I had to get creative with how I was gonna produce and move the show forward, right? And it was great because I got to interview a lot of fantastic people, you know, like Gian Carlos Canela from Miami, Walshi Fire from Major Lasers. We did an interview with Jesse Torrero while he was in LA. Um, it it took me places virtually that I never thought I would get to. So I loved it. I love 2020, and I thought that it was a time for you to figure out if you really wanted to be in this space and you really wanted to be a podcaster, how you were gonna be successful in it. Um like I said, I I signed with a I signed in an exclusivity contract to run ads on my show with a specific network. Um so that means I had to stay on for the length of that contract, and I was able to uh re-sign or extend my deal whenever I wanted. Um I learned a lot, and then some things happened where I felt like maybe this is something I should do on my own, I should grow my own network. I had attempted it before that previously, excuse me, but were not with the right people around me, you know. Um and I don't want to necessarily say the people on the reggae show, I'm just saying other shows that I was writing and producing for at the time. So I figured I needed uh a better support system, and um I did that, you know. I uh I partnered up with some amazing people and some amazing influencers. Um it was a company that was managing about 15 to 16 of the top influencers on the east coast, and they were interested in moving into the podcast space. I um I feel like we accomplished our initial goal with the first run where uh we were able to transition the type of content they were the type of content they were producing to from 60 seconds or 90 seconds or whatever it is that they do uh to full-length podcast episodes, right? Um at this point, I'm still doing my own show at the same time. I'm producing shows for other people and trying to get ads for other shows uh so people can make money off their podcasts. Um it was very tiresome, it was a lot of work, uh, it was a grind, and I just didn't feel like I wanted like if I was gonna do that, I was gonna do that, I wasn't gonna do this show anymore. So at the time, I felt like I needed to make a pivot. And at the suggestion of a few people, they were like, hey, um, maybe you should do a sports show. Originally, in this original conception of what this podcast was gonna be, the Rick Show, it was going to be a sports podcast, um, where we discuss sports topics and all that. Uh we we we did pretty good with the first few, but then I got in enamored with the idea of having like big guests because I I I lost sight of why I wanted to do the show, right? I at that point, after the first season, I was just like, yo, I'm just gonna book the best guest to be on my show. I wanted to be the best podcast, right? What I didn't take into consideration was I should be trying to make this the best podcast, not because of who's gonna be on, but because who was on the show, right? People should be tuning into your pod or whatever you're doing because of you. Yes, you get a kick or bump off of whoever you're working with, but you should have your own consistent fan base that tune in and watch your show and listen to you because of who you are and what you're producing and what you're talking about, right? Um, so I lost sight of that and I started booking major, major, major, major, huge guests. Um, and then at a certain point when I was producing shows for other people, I didn't know what this show was at at all. Like it went from being a show where I interviewed creatives to uh being a show where I just interviewed not just creatives but athletes and whoever was in the entertainment industry. Uh I I started just interviewing Latino people. Uh and then there was a season where I was only doing comedians and comedy. Um, so there wasn't like a set format for this program, right? Uh and it got a little stale, and I really didn't want to do the show anymore, and I needed something to make me uh feel inspired and like want to do the show. So, like I said, people suggested, hey, why don't you go back to sports, right? Now the problem is they wanted me to shift the show and make it a sports show. I didn't want to do that, I wanted to completely do something new. I felt like it was time to pivot, time to change, and that's where the inception of the 2 a.m. crew uh was created. I also wanted to do something different on the side, right? Uh, I didn't necessarily want to do the Rick A show, but I had an idea for a podcast that was not this show that I wanted to produce, which I'm still doing that show. Um, so I put this show to bed at however many, I think it was 225, 225 episodes of the Rick A show. Now, this episode is called Reset. Why do I feel now was the right time to come back? Well, first of all, in doing the spot the sports show, right? I love it. There's there's it's great because I have a consistent host. Um, he and I work well together. Jason and I are fantastic. We produce a great show. If you haven't seen the 2am crew, check it out. We're on our 46th episode. Um, but I still felt the need or necessity to interview people, and also this became therapeutic for me, right? Whenever I was having a tough week or something was going on, and I was recording on Tuesday, because this was Tuesday was the day I was recording this pod before. I always looked forward to doing the show. It felt like I got a break from everyday life, right? Um, so when I decided to switch gears, create the 2 a.m. crew, I felt like it was time. Um since then, I have felt like something's been missing, right? Uh, a lot of things have happened to me personally, and I felt like although I have the 2 a.m. crew, I still needed that outlet for me personally. Uh to do something that I wanted to do. Not because I felt like this would do great numbers or this would be a great show, or I could book whatever I guess, because I can necessarily book whoever I want. Um, I wanted to do something that was for me, about me, and allowed me to do something outside of the 2AM crew, outside of the genre of sports, right? So I came up with based on true stories, right? And the reason why that's the slogan for the show, and this is what the show is gonna be moving forward, is because I felt like you know, I'm 41, I'm about to be 42 years old, married man, father of three. I've been through some stuff in my life, uh, and I felt like I can share that, I can share some stories that people can relate to. Um, maybe they could find it entertaining, maybe they could get a little message out of it, but I I still felt the need to do something in that kind of space. That's why I brought this show back. And doing the 2 a.m. crew and working with Jason has made me go back into that grind hustle consistent mode where you know, before when I was doing this show years ago, I was probably one of the few podcasters that was producing constant uh content weekly when I first started out. This is 2017, 2018, I was doing one or two shows a week. Um, and besides that, I was doing special events, a whole bunch of stuff. I was grinding real hard for five years. Um, but working with Jason has put me back into that state of mind, it's put me back into that zone, and doing this for so long, I've kind of feel like I've refined or come up with a formula on how I want to do this and how I feel comfortable doing it. I don't want to do this because at the end of the day, I had contractual agreements with networks and I had to fulfill those. I don't want to do it because I I the day that this starts feeling like a job to me is the day I don't want to do it, right? I have a job. I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't need to take on another one, right? I'm doing this for me, so that's why I I um I feel like now is is the right time. It's it's like a a need that I need for myself mentally, and it also gives me a time to reset what this show is and what the expectation can be moving forward, right? So that's why I feel uh this is the best time to bring this back. Uh what was going through my mind during the time away um a lot, right? Um personally originally when I made this run, uh when I was closing out the show, I wanted to um I was evaluating was it a success or or you know, was it a failure, right? And it wasn't a uh money situation where oh I made X amount of money on it, you know, um I put this much time on it. Was it a success? Was it or it wasn't? Um I evaluated the show and I felt like I needed a break, I needed something new, I needed I needed to want to do this again for the right reasons. That's why I stepped away the first time. And you know, again, I have a family, there was things going on, like you know, I have I have three kids, right? And every time we're going through the process where my wife was pregnant, I was considering hey, uh, the amount of time I need to spend with her and my uh my kids, will I have enough time to produce this the way I wanted to? And I I definitely needed a break. So that was what was going through my mind. I felt like I had a successful one, uh run. I had you know won some awards, I made some money off the show, and I created I I could say I created something and I gave it my all. So I felt like yes, it was a success. Did I think the show was over for good? At a certain point, yes, I did. And when I had closed the chapter on the show, I thought it was done. I thought I I wouldn't go back to this. Um because I had the the 2 a.m. crew and I felt like I had a new a new breath of fresh air. I had you know a new space to conquer. Um in the back of my mind, I I knew if I ever brought it back and I never said no, I would never bring it back. I it would be different, and I kind of had like an idea of how I wanted to do it. Um, you know, I had I've been I did this show for so long. I know what worked for me and what didn't. And initially in the first run, I I booked people because of the following they had, not because of what the show was. And I had to really sit back and break down of what this is gonna be moving forward. And I definitely don't want, you know, like I'm interviewing guest X today, and there's 5,000 people watching, but next week I'm interviewing a this a different person, and there's three people watching. So I I wanted it to be something that was consistent, I wanted it something that was gonna be entertaining, I wanted it something that was gonna make you spark an emotion, whether it be laughter, whether it be um joy, whether it be pain, whatever it may be, I wanted it something that sparked an emotion on each episode, right? So did I think it was gone for good? Yes, initially I was like, I'm I'm over it, I'll I'm moving on to something else, I'll create something else. Um, but in the back of my mind, no. What did I miss about podcasting? I mean, I had a really great time interviewing people, getting to know people, listen to listening to their stories, you know, um, making time, giving the space to maybe some creatives that you've never heard of in your life. And I met some interesting and terrific people along the way, and I thought that. Um, it was a really great time, you know. And I was proud of the work that I was doing. But I I miss that. I miss actually doing the show, but I miss doing the show with people who like I brought guests on, and sometimes I would have might have spoken to the person two or three times before there were guests on the show. But then I've had guests on who I've known, and I have like Ivan's been on the show I don't know how many times, but every time I did an episode with Ivan, it was great, it was fantastic. I enjoyed myself, um, and we had a great time. So, what I missed was that like the camaraderie with people who are considered my peers, and you know telling stories and creating moments. That's what I missed about it the most. Um why does this relaunch feel different from the previous one? It's different and it's going to be different because I'm setting the tone from the beginning. Uh this is I've been doing this since 2018, and I know what works for me and what doesn't. You know, I'm not gonna. I literally booked people and and had episodes with people who I zero interested in interviewing. Like, I'm not gonna force myself to do something I don't want to do. I'm gonna do what I want to do and what I feel is is good or is entertaining or is uh interesting story that needs to be told, or um or I'm gonna have my little session where it's just me and I'm speaking to you guys directly, and there isn't a guest. So I know exactly what the the show is now and what it will be moving forward, and the reason is different is because of that, like what I said in the beginning, based on true stories, and that's what we'll be talking about again, based on true stories, and we're going to um make you feel or invoke an emotion on each episode. And if I I have failed to do so at the end of the episode, I would like to know, and and I want to engage more with the people that are actually tuning in and are actually watching. I mean, you're devoting 45 minutes to an hour of your time watching the show. Hopefully, you're watching the whole thing. Um, and and and I would like to engage and hear your thoughts on the opinions and the stories that are gonna be said here on the show. So uh that's why I feel like this is gonna be different. Excuse me. Um, what are some lessons that I have learned? Uh, again, don't book guests because of their following and who they are. Book them because you feel there is a chemistry and a vibe with them there, there is a familiarity with them there, and uh creo your create and grow your brand first. Don't think about having the biggest names on your show. Like people are not gonna tune in because of you, they're gonna tune in because of who you have on. So um that's a lesson I've learned. I've learned that if you're going to dedicate your time to something and you're going to be working with other individuals, make sure those other individuals have the exact same drive and um perseverance you do, and that they're doing it for the correct reasons, um, and the same reasons you are. Um, I've learned that uh being yourself is the best actual thing. Don't try to be anybody else, don't try to uh follow anybody else's trend. Um, create your own lane. If you it's it's always good, you you never you never know. So create your own lane and also sending messages, emailing, creating relationships, building is the best thing you could do. Uh I there's guests that I I was consistently having conversations with and building relationships with, and some made it onto the show, some didn't, but I the ones that didn't, I still speak to today. I don't hold no ill will or no grudges, you know. Um the timing is right for everything. So if you if you email someone or you send someone a message and you feel like they're curbing you, or you feel like um they're not giving you the time of day, that's fine. You know, just be consistent with what you're doing. If you really want that person to be on your show, you really want to dedicate person time to that person uh to interview them and have them in your space, and by all means continue to be consistent and professional and don't take anything personal. I don't I take nothing personal in this in this industry. You know, I I've emailed people and I've gotten like, oh, okay, maybe now is not the best timing, and and that's been fine. And then I'll check in with them, just checking in with them, not saying like, hey, is now a good time. And I've I built those relationships naturally and organically, and then they'll hit me up, like, hey, let's just do this thing, man. I I really I I've really S with you. Um, and that's how I built uh the relationships that I've I have and I and I've fostered them. So those are some things that I've learned while I've been doing this show. And this run definitely is gonna feel very different. It's definitely gonna be more personal. It's a hundred percent not for the likes, not for the subscriptions, just because I just purely love doing what I do. And you know, 232 episodes of the Rick Aid show, 46 of the 2 a.m. crew, and countless episodes of stuff that I've written and produced for other people, other shows I've been guests on. I've been doing this for a really long time. I'm not like you know, I'm not someone that's starting out with visions of like, oh, I need to be a millionaire or I'm trying to do this um to make a ton of money. No, I do this because I love doing this, and proof is in my work ethic, how long I've been in this game, and how I continue to grow and I continue to produce content. So um that's basically it for me. If you would love to be a guest on the show, please send me a direct message at the Rick H show on Instagram or send me an email at the Rick Gates Show. I'll put the email at the bottom. That's more professional, Rick. Um, I'm used to having Justin or Kaba produce some of this stuff for me. So uh send me an email if you'd like to be a guest on the show. If you'd like to um have your story told, it's the Rick R I C K H show at gmail.com. Uh the Rick H show at gmail.com. Follow, like, subscribe, tune in. We will be producing this show Mondays at nine o'clock. Today was just a special little reset episode that I had in my mind. There was a few questions I wanted to answer. Um, yeah, Mondays at nine o'clock, the Rick A show, based on true stories. Tune in, like, subscribe, share. You know, let's do the show the right way. If you tune in tonight and you tune into the Instagram live or the TikTok live, I appreciate your time, I appreciate your patience, and you all have a lovely evening. I will see you guys next week. Take care.