Épisodes

  • Episode 112 - When Did Everything Become a Side Hustle?

    Episode 112 - When Did Everything Become a Side Hustle?
    Oct 15 2026
    Episode 112: When Did Everything Become a Side Hustle?When did everything we enjoy doing suddenly need to become a way to make money? If you enjoy playing video games, someone tells you to become a streamer. If you like taking pictures, you should sell your photography. If you enjoy writing, you should publish books. If you're interested in technology, you should start a YouTube channel or build an app. It seems like no matter what someone enjoys doing, there's always another person explaining how they can turn it into a business. Somewhere along the way, we started treating hobbies as potential sources of income instead of things we do simply because we enjoy them. In this episode, I talk about how hustle culture, social media, and the pressure to make more money have changed the way we think about our free time.I've experienced this myself because I've tried plenty of different things over the years. I streamed video games back around 2014 and 2015, created YouTube videos, explored different business opportunities, invested in stocks, and eventually started publishing books. Some of those things made money, others didn't, and a few I simply stopped doing because I realized I wasn't particularly interested in continuing them. Writing, blogging, and podcasting are different for me because they're things I genuinely enjoy. I was writing long before I ever published a book, and I'd still be doing it even if nobody paid me. That doesn't mean I don't want to make money from my work, but there's a difference between making money from something you love and doing something solely because you think it might make you money.One of the biggest reasons I think this mentality has become so common is social media. We constantly see successful streamers, influencers, and entrepreneurs showing off how much money they're supposedly making. I talk about Ludwig, one of the biggest names in streaming, and the incredible amount of revenue someone at that level can generate. But there's another side to those numbers that people don't always consider. Running a successful content business can mean paying employees, maintaining studios, managing production costs, and handling expenses that most viewers never see. The same applies to the people posing with expensive cars, private jets, and designer products. We're shown the lifestyle, but we rarely see what it actually costs to maintain or whether the person showing it off even owns what they're displaying.I also get into the reality of passive income because that's another idea that gets promoted as though anyone can start making money while they sleep. I earn money from my books, but that doesn't mean I can publish something and never think about it again. Sales change, keywords stop performing, descriptions need adjustments, and the market keeps moving. My dividend investments generate income too, but that required investing a substantial amount of my own money over time. Real estate comes with maintenance, repairs, and other responsibilities. There are legitimate ways to build additional income streams, but they usually require money, time, knowledge, or some combination of all three. The people promising easy returns rarely spend as much time explaining what it takes to get there.In this episode, I discuss:When hobbies started becoming potential businesses instead of things we simply enjoyWhy everyone seems to believe they need multiple sources of incomeHow social media and hustle culture have changed our expectations of successWhy the rising cost of living makes additional income feel necessary for so many peopleHow streaming became a career aspiration for people who originally just enjoyed playing video gamesThe enormous revenue successful streamers can generate and the expenses that come with operating at that levelMy own experiences with streaming, YouTube, writing, publishing, and other business venturesWhy I've continued writing and podcasting while walking away from other projectsThe difference between pursuing something you're passionate about and chasing an opportunity solely for moneyWhy passive income usually requires more work or investment than people realizeWhat I've learned about maintaining book sales and adapting to changes in the publishing marketWhy dividend investing requires actual capital before it can generate meaningful incomeThe costs and responsibilities that come with owning real estateHow online influencers use expensive cars, private jets, and luxury lifestyles to sell the idea of successWhy selling courses about making money has become a business of its ownThe unrealistic expectations created by people promising easy financial returnsWhat I've learned from working with small-business owners and seeing how they operateWhy having a skill doesn't automatically mean someone knows how to run a successful businessThe importance of responding to customers, marketing, and putting in the work when starting a businessHow AI has created another wave of...
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    19 min
  • Episode 111 - Too Many Choices

    Episode 111 - Too Many Choices
    Sep 24 2026
    Episode 111: Too Many ChoicesWe have more choices than probably any generation before us. Netflix gives us thousands of things to watch. Amazon gives us hundreds of versions of the same product. AI can give us five different ways to solve the same problem. We have more career paths, more ways to make money, more things competing for our attention, and more information telling us what we should be doing with our lives. Having options is supposed to be a good thing, but at some point, having more choices can make choosing anything harder.I run into this constantly with my writing. Books are my bread and butter right now, but even knowing that doesn't completely solve the problem. I write light novels, romance, mysteries, police procedurals, darker stories, poetry, and whatever else interests me. I love having the freedom to create different things, but that freedom also means sitting down to write comes with another question: what should I actually write? I can continue focusing on what's already working, start another series, return to a different genre, or try something completely new.Entertainment has become the simpler version of the same problem. I have access to Netflix, HBO, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, Crunchyroll, Viki, live television, and more, yet there are plenty of times when I end up watching YouTube instead. We can spend so much time deciding what to watch that we barely watch anything at all. Even when we finally choose something, we might have the television playing while we're looking at our phones, dividing our attention between even more choices.The same problem becomes much more important when the choices involve relationships, careers, and money. Sometimes narrowing those choices means asking yourself a much simpler question. If you were having an absolutely terrible day and could call one person who you knew would help turn that day around, who would you call? If you could only afford one streaming service, which one would you keep? Removing the unlimited choices, even hypothetically, can make what you actually value much easier to see.In this episode, I discuss:Why having more choices doesn't always make our lives easierHow Netflix, Amazon, AI, and the internet have created an endless number of optionsWhy writing across so many genres can sometimes make deciding what to write more difficultHow I decide where to focus when I have multiple things I could be working onWhy having access to almost every streaming service still doesn't mean I know what I want to watchHow our phones divide our attention even after we've already chosen something to watchA simple way to narrow down choices by imagining what you would pick if your options were limitedHow that same idea can apply to the people we choose to have in our livesWhy I'm focusing my current career search around areas that connect with my experience and interest in technology and AIHow I narrowed my personal investing strategy instead of trying to chase every possible approachWhy becoming an adult means realizing most adults are adapting in real time tooThe rising cost of living and why one income can feel increasingly difficult to rely onHow almost everything has seemingly become a side hustleSome of the different ways I've personally tried to make moneyWhy writing has been the thing that has actually produced the most consistent results for meWhy chasing money alone can make it difficult to keep creating when the money isn't thereWhy I don't think we need to optimize every part of our livesThe importance of knowing your why and focusing on the next step instead of the perfect choiceOne of the biggest places I see choice overload now is in making money. There is always someone online telling you to start dropshipping, sell digital products, become a content creator, build an AI agency, start a YouTube channel, write books, invest, day trade, or buy their course so they can show you the thing that supposedly worked for them. I've tried a lot of different things myself, and the one that has produced the most consistent results for me is writing. That's also the thing I've been doing for most of my life. Long before I was making meaningful money from books, I was writing stories because I genuinely enjoyed creating them.That doesn't mean everyone needs to find one thing and do nothing else forever. I've changed, experimented, learned new things, and adapted throughout my life, and I don't plan on stopping. The point is that having access to a hundred different paths doesn't mean you have to walk down all one hundred of them at the same time. Sometimes you need to decide what matters most right now and give that your attention.I also don't think the answer is another complicated productivity system designed to optimize every minute of the day. There are things that need to get done, so I try to get them done in a timely manner, figure out what's working, adjust what isn't, and keep moving. It doesn't have to be perfect. Knowing...
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    16 min
  • Episode 110 The Numbers That Aren’t the Point

    Episode 110 The Numbers That Aren’t the Point
    Sep 17 2026

    Episode 110: The Numbers That Aren't the Point

    Last week, I talked about community and why having the right people around you can make the difficult parts of the journey a little easier. This week, I'm pulling back the curtain even more and talking about something that can make those difficult parts feel a lot worse: the numbers.

    Whether you're writing books, running a podcast, building a business, posting online, or trying to turn something you enjoy into something bigger, there is always another number you can check. Downloads. Sales. Revenue. Followers. Views. Rankings. The numbers don't necessarily lie, but they also don't tell the entire story.

    When I recorded this episode, the previous episode had seven downloads after being out for six days. From June through August, this podcast had 73 downloads even though I barely released anything during that period. Those aren't massive numbers, and I'm not going to pretend they are. But there are still real people behind them, and that matters more to me than trying to make this podcast look bigger than it is.

    The same thing has been happening with my writing. I had been averaging around $10 to $13 a day in book revenue, which would put me somewhere around $300 to $390 a month if that pace continued. Then I suddenly had several slower days back to back, including a day where I made less than two dollars. When you've finally started seeing some progress, watching those numbers fall can mess with your head quickly.

    It becomes easy to start asking what you should change. Maybe I should run ads. Maybe I should only write whatever genre is popular right now. Maybe I should research what other podcasts are doing and start talking about the same things. There will always be something you can change in an attempt to make the numbers go up, but eventually you have to ask whether you're still creating what you actually want to create.

    In this episode, I discuss:

    Why constantly checking numbers and dashboards can become a trap

    The actual download numbers behind The Books By Josh Audio Immersion

    Why seven people listening still means something to me

    How easy it is to compare your numbers to creators who appear more successful

    Why I don't want podcast numbers deciding what I talk about

    The temptation to chase whatever book genres or topics are currently popular

    Why creating only for money can eventually pull you away from what you enjoy

    My recent book revenue averaging around $10 to $13 a day

    What it felt like when that suddenly dropped to less than two dollars on one day

    Why I'm continuing to focus on organic growth before deciding whether to run ads

    What years of working in sales and retention taught me about good days and bad days

    Why several bad days don't automatically mean everything you've built has stopped working

    The problem with turning today's numbers into a prediction about tomorrow

    Why the value of something isn't always visible on a dashboard

    I've been creating content for more than a decade and writing for almost two decades. I've had projects that went nowhere, things that made money, things that didn't, and plenty of times where the numbers made me question whether continuing made sense. The internet makes it easy to believe everyone else figured out some shortcut that you somehow missed, especially when you're constantly seeing videos telling you how easy it is to make money online.

    The reality is that some people will make money and some won't. Some days will be great and others will be terrible. I've seen the same thing throughout my years working in sales and retention. You can have days where everything seems to work and then have another day where almost nothing does. You still have to come back the next day and try again.

    Numbers are useful. I'm not saying to ignore them. They can show you what's working, what's changing, and where you might need to adjust. The problem starts when the number becomes the entire reason you're doing something or when one bad day convinces you that everything you've been working toward suddenly doesn't matter.

    I'd love to hear your thoughts. How much attention do you pay to the numbers behind what you're working toward, and have you ever caught yourself letting a bad day convince you that you were failing?

    The Books By Josh Audio Immersion is a reflective podcast focused on perspective, growth, and the quiet lessons we often overlook. Each episode is an invitation to slow down, think differently, and explore ideas that don't always fit into neat categories.
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    10 min
  • Episode 109 - Community

    Episode 109 - Community
    Sep 10 2026

    Episode 109: Community

    Last week, I talked about imposter syndrome and what happens when success finally starts showing up but you still question whether you deserve it. This week, I'm looking at something that can make that journey a little easier: community.

    A few weeks ago, I attended Port Chester's Unity Day, an event that's been bringing people together for longer than I've been alive. Being there made me start thinking about the different communities I've had throughout my life and the one I've slowly built through my books, this podcast, and BooksByJosh.com.

    I may only know a small percentage of the people who follow my work personally, but every listener, reader, review, comment, and email reminds me that I'm not creating completely alone. This podcast and my website don't directly make me money, and that's never really been the point. I've always wanted them to be places where I could share whatever knowledge, experience, or perspective I have with people who might find value in it.

    Community also goes beyond an audience. It's your friends, family, mentors, coworkers, business connections, gym partners, and the people you choose to surround yourself with. The right people can motivate you, teach you something you didn't know, give you somewhere to vent, or simply remind you to keep moving when progress feels slow.

    In this episode, I discuss:

    Growing up in a large family and why community has always been part of my life

    How attending Port Chester's Unity Day made me think differently about my own community

    Building a community through my books, podcast, website, readers, and listeners

    Why I continue creating free content even though my podcast and website don't directly make money

    The importance of mentorship, networking, and learning from people ahead of you

    Why the people you surround yourself with can influence your habits and direction

    The importance of bringing value to a community instead of only taking from it

    Having people who can motivate you, teach you, or simply give you somewhere to vent

    Why friendships and communities naturally change as we move through different stages of life

    The difficulty of building something when success can take years to finally appear

    How AI has helped my creative workflow while also making an already crowded creator market even more competitive

    Why having people around you matters when the difficult parts of the journey eventually arrive

    I've been writing for almost two decades, podcasting for nearly a decade, and running my website for around a decade. A lot of the results I'm beginning to see now didn't happen quickly. When you're working toward something for that long, having people around you—even if they're simply listening, reading, encouraging you, or sharing the journey—can make a bigger difference than you realize.

    Communities won't always stay the same. People leave, friendships change, and sometimes you eventually move on from a group that once meant everything to you. The important thing is continuing to find people you can learn from, contribute to, and lean on when the inevitable storms show up.

    I'd love to hear your thoughts. Who makes up your community today, and how have the people around you changed as you've grown?

    The Books By Josh Audio Immersion is a reflective podcast focused on perspective, growth, and the quiet lessons we often overlook. Each episode is an invitation to slow down, think differently, and explore ideas that don't always fit into neat categories.
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    12 min
  • Episode 108 - Am I An Imposter?

    Episode 108 - Am I An Imposter?
    Jul 28 2026

    Episode 108: Am I an Imposter?

    Last week, I talked about whether we should follow the money. This week, I'm reflecting on something that can show up even when things are finally starting to go right: imposter syndrome.

    As my books continue to reach more readers, generate consistent sales, and receive encouraging reviews, I find myself asking a question I never expected to ask: Do I actually deserve this? Instead of simply appreciating the progress, I catch myself refreshing rankings, checking reviews, and wondering if it's only a matter of time before everything slows down.

    Success doesn't automatically silence self-doubt. In many ways, it can make those doubts even louder. Whether you're a writer, entrepreneur, or someone who's recently reached a personal or professional milestone, you've probably questioned whether you truly belong where you are.

    In this episode, I share my own experience with imposter syndrome, why it's been affecting me as an independent author, and how I'm learning to separate honest self-improvement from constant self-doubt.

    In this episode, I discuss:

    What imposter syndrome is and why it can affect anyone

    Why success doesn't always feel as satisfying as we imagine

    The habit of constantly checking reviews, rankings, and sales

    Growing as an independent author without paid advertising or a large social media following

    Choosing to write the stories I enjoy instead of only chasing my most profitable genre

    Why asking readers to support my work still feels uncomfortable

    Using AI tools as part of my creative workflow while remaining accountable for the finished product

    Learning to appreciate progress without letting fear define it

    Sometimes the biggest obstacle isn't reaching a goal—it's believing you've earned the opportunity to stand where you are. Growth often comes with uncertainty, and learning to trust your own work can be just as important as creating it.

    I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have you ever experienced imposter syndrome after achieving something you worked hard for? How did you work through it?

    The Books By Josh Audio Immersion is a reflective podcast focused on perspective, growth, and the quiet lessons we often overlook. Each episode is an invitation to slow down, think differently, and explore ideas that don't always fit into neat categories.
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    12 min
  • Episode 107 - Follow The Money?

    Episode 107 - Follow The Money?
    Jun 23 2026

    Episode 107: Follow the Money?

    Last week, I talked about what happens after reaching a goal you’ve been chasing for a long time. This week, I’m looking at a different question: should we follow the money, or should we follow something deeper?

    Money matters. It pays bills, creates stability, and can give us the room to build the life we want. But money can also pull us into jobs, businesses, trends, and choices that don’t align with who we are.

    In this episode, I reflect on moments from my own life where I had to decide whether the money was worth the cost. From sales and security work to side hustles, writing, and creative decisions, I talk about the difference between using money as a tool and letting money become the thing that controls your direction.

    In this episode, I discuss:

    Why chasing money alone can lead you away from your values

    The importance of integrity in work, sales, and business

    Knowing when a higher-paying opportunity is not the right opportunity

    How burnout can happen when money becomes the only reason you stay

    The difference between using a job as a stepping stone and letting it trap you

    Why side hustles and trends are not always as simple as they appear

    The danger of copying someone else’s path just because it looks profitable

    Building a financial foundation without losing sight of the life you actually want

    Sometimes following the money makes sense for a season. But the goal should be knowing what you’re building toward, so the money serves your life instead of becoming your life.

    I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you ever taken a job, opportunity, or side hustle just for the money? Was it worth it?

    The Books By Josh Audio Immersion is a reflective podcast focused on perspective, growth, and the quiet lessons we often overlook. Each episode is an invitation to slow down, think differently, and explore ideas that don’t always fit into neat categories.
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    16 min
  • Episode 106 - Hit My Goals Now What

    Episode 106 - Hit My Goals Now What
    Jun 9 2026

    # Episode 106: Hit My Goals, Now What?

    Last week, I talked about finally seeing meaningful progress from my writing after years of effort. This week, I find myself facing a different question: what happens when you actually reach a goal you've been chasing for a long time?

    After earning as much from my writing in the first week of June as I did during the entire previous month, I started reflecting on the strange feeling that comes after achieving something you've worked toward for years. It's not life-changing money, but it's enough progress to make me stop and think about what's next.

    In this episode, I discuss:

    - The unexpected emotions that can follow reaching a long-term goal

    - Why achieving a milestone doesn't always bring the fulfillment we expect

    - The difference between creating what sells and creating what you're passionate about

    - How goals evolve as we grow and change

    - The importance of having a strong reason behind your ambitions

    - Lessons from fitness, finances, travel, and creative work

    - Why success often creates new questions instead of final answers

    - Building a creative life that can eventually support greater freedom and flexibility

    Sometimes the hardest question isn't how to reach a goal—it's deciding where to go after you've arrived.

    I'd love to hear your thoughts. What do you do after you hit a major goal?

    The Books By Josh Audio Immersion is a reflective podcast focused on perspective, growth, and the quiet lessons we often overlook. Each episode is an invitation to slow down, think differently, and explore ideas that don’t always fit into neat categories.
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    13 min
  • Episode 105 - After All These Years Finally Making Progress

    Episode 105 - After All These Years Finally Making Progress
    Jun 2 2026

    🎙️ Books By Josh Audio Immersion — Episode 105
    The Moment Effort Becomes Evidence

    There is a strange feeling that comes when something you’ve spent years building finally begins to show signs of life. Not overnight success. Not a viral moment. Just tangible evidence that the work you’ve been doing all along actually matters.

    In this episode, I talk about what it feels like to finally see progress after years of writing, podcasting, and creating. Recently, some of my books started gaining traction, readers began discovering my work, and for the first time in a long while, I could point to real results instead of simply believing they might come someday. It is a conversation about persistence, patience, and the emotional reality of pursuing creative goals when there are no guarantees.

    The truth is that most meaningful things take longer than we expect. Whether it is building a career, growing investments, learning a skill, or creating something you hope will outlast you, there are often years where the effort feels invisible. This episode is about those years and the importance of continuing anyway.

    What We Talk About

    • Seeing the first meaningful signs of progress after years of creative work
    • Publishing books in new genres and experimenting with different ideas
    • The emotional challenge of tracking sales, reads, and results
    • Why patience is harder than most people admit
    • The similarities between investing and building a creative career
    • The books and authors that inspired my own journey as a writer
    • Why creating something meaningful matters even if success comes slowly
    • The importance of continuing when progress feels invisible

    Why This Episode Matters

    We live in a world that celebrates quick wins and overnight success stories, but most accomplishments are built quietly over long periods of time. The difficult part is staying committed when the results haven’t arrived yet.

    This episode is a reminder that effort often compounds beneath the surface. Sometimes the progress is happening long before we can measure it. The challenge is trusting the process long enough to reach the point where the evidence finally appears.

    Final Thoughts

    Not every month will be better than the last. Not every project will succeed. But if there is one lesson I’ve learned, it’s that showing up consistently matters more than most people realize.

    Keep putting in the work. Keep building. Keep creating. The progress may be small, and it may arrive later than you hoped, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t coming.

    About the Show

    The Books By Josh Audio Immersion explores ideas about growth, creativity, mindset, personal finance, writing, and the experiences that shape who we become. Each episode is a chance to slow down, reflect, and look at life from a different perspective.

    The Books By Josh Audio Immersion is a reflective podcast focused on perspective, growth, and the quiet lessons we often overlook. Each episode is an invitation to slow down, think differently, and explore ideas that don’t always fit into neat categories.
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    13 min