Ina Coveney: Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Justin Schenck. Justin, how are you today?

Justin Schenck: I'm so good because I'm talking to you, so thank you so much for having me.

Ina Coveney: How sweet are you already? Right out of the gate, you're just going to be the sweetest person you can be. Is that just your normal mode? Why don't you help everybody out—what is it that you do right now, and who do you do it for?

Justin Schenck: Wow, that's a really pointed question. More than anything, I'm a podcaster, right? Everything that I do started in podcasting. I started podcasting six and a half years ago, and it's been quite the journey. I've had massive success, and it's really spun into what I do now. Realistically, I do many things—whether it be helping podcasters get their message heard, or more importantly now, helping entrepreneurs tell their message in a way that makes a big impact in the world and helps grow their business. We do that through our community, which is the Growth Now community, and I just feel really blessed to do that every single day and help people get their message heard.

Ina Coveney: The way I like to start these conversations is by going way back. I want to know: what was life like before you were a global phenomenon? Take me to your childhood. What are some of your earliest memories of growing up? What was home life like for you?

Justin Schenck: That’s a loaded question. I don’t know if you realized how loaded it was when you asked it! Do you think I do my homework, or do you think I don’t?

Ina Coveney: I imagine someone like you does their homework.

Justin Schenck: You’re already a step ahead of me when I do certain things. Growing up was interesting for sure. It’s funny—some people can remember their earliest memory as laying in their crib. I barely remember high school! That’s just how my brain works. Truly, I can go back to when I was around 12. At that time, I was living that prototypical American dream life. My parents were still married. We lived in a very nice home in a really nice neighborhood. I played sports and did all the typical things a 12-year-old would do.

Ina Coveney: Where did you grow up?

Justin Schenck: I grew up in South Jersey, really close to the beach, which most people think is so cool. But here’s the thing—I don’t like the beach. And they’ll say, “But you get to go to the beach all year round!” And I’m like, “You’re not connecting one and two—it’s cold in the winter, and there’s nothing to do.” But yeah, I grew up in South Jersey and felt really blessed. Then, around 12, everything started to fall apart. My parents got a divorce. My mom ended up losing her job because she began a 20-year battle with opioids. My dad left his job to start a business and was trying to make it successful. We moved from this really beautiful neighborhood, and my dad moved into a trailer while my mom moved into a two-bedroom apartment. Overnight, everything changed. Around the same time, I broke my hip and couldn’t play sports anymore. It completely shifted who I was. But, looking back, all these things ended up being gifts. They made me super self-aware, which has been a huge part of my success in business and podcasting. Being able to have deep conversations at a young age helped me have those same conversations now as an adult.

Ina Coveney: When kids go through something like that, it shapes them. It starts to shape their view of the world. If it’s okay, I’d like to stay on this topic a little longer because we want to understand how you turned into you. What were your feelings about your father at the time, if it’s okay to ask?

Justin Schenck: Yeah, it’s perfectly fine. My parents loved me unconditionally, even though they both had their own demons. They did nothing but pour love into me. So, I loved them back just the same. There was no ill will towards either of them. They supported me at the highest level. I think that’s why, as an adult, I’ve been able to take big leaps and try big things—they always supported me, even when my ideas seemed crazy. People often ask, “How did you turn out the way you did?” And honestly, more than anything, it was their unconditional love and learning how to unconditionally love others, even if they’re not perfect.

Ina Coveney: What were your feelings about your father specifically at the time?

Justin Schenck: Honestly, there was no judgment. I loved my parents the same, even after the divorce.

Ina Coveney: I wanted to separate this to see where your influences came from. When you’re seeing two people you love deeply going through something so hard, what was your role? Were you the protector, the listener? A kid going through this isn’t just watching it like it’s a movie—they’re in it. So, what would you say your role was in all this chaos?

Justin Schenck: I think my role was to be the joker—the one who tried to lift the energy in the room. There were moments when I saw my parents sad, and I felt like it was my job to cheer them up by making jokes or being jovial. That was the role I took on. It’s something I still do at times, though I’ve learned how to hold space for people too. That took therapy, coaching, and understanding all the pain points in my life.

Ina Coveney: So, in a way, you stepped into this role to protect them, trying to make things better. Let’s move forward a little. How did that feeling of needing to help people or uplift them continue to play a role in your life? Did it stick with you?

Justin Schenck: I don’t think it was a massive role. It was more of a natural response—I felt the need to make a joke whenever people were down. But it wasn’t something I strongly identified with. In fact, I was more of an introvert. Even though I knew a lot of people, my circle of friends was always small. I didn’t like being the center of attention. So, in many ways, I felt like an innocent bystander in my own life. Maybe that’s why I don’t remember a lot of my childhood—I wasn’t the lead character. I was more of the sidekick.

Ina Coveney: Did anger have a place in all of this?

Justin Schenck: No, I never had anger or resentment towards my parents. But it did cause me to develop massive abandonment issues. Even though my parents loved and supported me, their choices sometimes made me feel like they were choosing other things over me. As an adult, this turned into a fear of people leaving me. I’d end up self-sabotaging relationships, thinking, “Well, you’re going to leave me anyway, so I might as well be the one in control of that.”

Ina Coveney: I want everyone to really get the context of this. You were a terrible student, from a broken home, and had all these things happening to you. Yet, you’ve become one of the most self-aware people I’ve ever met. Something happened when you were 19 that seems to have been a turning point. Someone gave you the book Who Moved My Cheese? Can you tell us about that moment? Who gave you the book, and why did you actually read it? Just because someone hands you a book doesn’t mean you’ll read it!

Justin Schenck: Yeah, I’ll get to that. But first, I want to touch on what you said about self-awareness. I had a conversation with Ed Mylett on my podcast, and we talked about how growing up with a parent who’s an addict forces you to become very self-aware. You don’t know which version of your parent you’re going to get on any given day, so you learn to read energy and adapt quickly. That self-awareness has been a gift for me as an adult.
As for the book, I was 19 and working in a direct sales job. My mentor in the organization handed me Who Moved My Cheese? At first, I said, “I don’t read books.” But he encouraged me, and since the book was thin and a quick read, I thought, “Fine, I’ll read it.” I figured I’d start it and not finish, but once I began, I couldn’t put it down. It’s about how change is inevitable, and what matters is how you react to that change. That message hit me hard. It made me realize I had control over how I responded to life’s challenges.

Ina Coveney: Why do you think it had such a big impact at that specific point in your life?

Justin Schenck: It was perfect timing. I felt lost and wasn’t sure where my future was going. Society was telling me that, because I came from a broken home, had a parent who was an addict, and was a bad student, I had no shot. That book told me otherwise. It made me realize my future depended on what I did next—not what had already happened.

Ina Coveney: Were there other books or situations that helped shape your vision? Just realizing your life could be different is one thing, but what kept you grinding every day?

Justin Schenck: I became a huge fan of biographies and life stories. I’ve read books about people like Will Smith and Cal Penn, and their journeys inspire me. They remind me that these successful individuals are normal people, just like me. Reading their stories helped me dream big while focusing on small daily actions. Those daily actions—like finding the right circle of friends, choosing the next career move, or seeking mentors—created opportunities for me to say yes or no. My vision formed over time through those actions. I didn’t always have a clear five-year plan; I just focused on living with more abundance and giving more to others.

Ina Coveney: Let’s talk about how you got into podcasting. By then, you’d already tried different businesses. It wasn’t like you struck gold with your first idea. Can you walk us through some of the other ideas you tried before podcasting?

Justin Schenck: Sure. First off, while I was exploring entrepreneurship, I was doing really well in the corporate world. I had jobs where I was told I needed a master’s degree to succeed, yet I got those jobs without one. My last job was in medical sales and management, running an office that did $2.5 million a year. But I was miserable. I hated having to clock in and clock out.
As for the businesses, the first one I started with a partner focused on organizing seminars and expos for personal and professional growth. We had some mild success but then took all our earnings and invested them into a big business expo. We paid a speaker a lot of money to come, but we sold only three tickets—and those were through Groupon! After that, we shut the business down.
Later, I tried developing an app, which was a very expensive journey. Another business was podcast production and coaching, which actually failed the first time. But I revisited it later and turned it into a successful company where I now work with amazing clients like Lisa Nichols from The Secret.

Ina Coveney: So, podcasting. How did the idea come about, and what year are we talking about?

Justin Schenck: The idea came about seven years ago, so around 2015. I realized I wasn’t great at entrepreneurship, so I thought, “Let me interview successful entrepreneurs and learn from them directly.” Initially, I was chasing what society told me to—house, car, girl. I thought those things would make me happy. But three months before I launched the podcast, my mom passed away after a 20-year battle with opioids. That completely changed my perspective on life. I spiraled for three months, drinking heavily to escape the pain. A coach of mine called me one day and said, “You’re not going out tonight. You’re going to sit and feel this.” That night was one of the hardest of my life, but it changed everything. I decided that was my rock bottom. I wouldn’t let outside circumstances dictate my reactions anymore. That’s when I started the podcast, asking guests about their rock bottoms and how they overcame them.

Ina Coveney: That’s such a powerful story. So the podcast idea started as one thing, but it sounds like it evolved into something much deeper. What did those early episodes look like?

Justin Schenck: At first, it was about learning from entrepreneurs—asking them how they built their businesses and what strategies they used. But after my mom passed, the focus shifted. I started asking guests about their struggles, their rock bottoms, and how they found self-love. Honestly, those questions were for me. I was trying to figure out how to navigate my own life. Over time, the podcast took on a life of its own. Back then, podcasting wasn’t what it is today. It was still a small, niche medium. But as it grew, so did I, and it’s been amazing to see how podcasting can connect and inspire people.

Ina Coveney: For anyone who goes back to the beginning of your podcast, they’ll notice that for the first 63 episodes or so, you had a co-host. Partnerships don’t always end smoothly, so how much are you comfortable sharing about what happened there?

Justin Schenck: Yeah, he was my business partner for those other ventures I mentioned earlier. When we started the podcast, we had different focuses. I was talking about overcoming adversity, while he was more focused on business topics. It created a bit of a disconnect for the audience. Around the same time, he was going through some personal stuff and couldn’t fully commit to the podcast. I asked if he’d be okay stepping back so I could see if I could do it on my own. He agreed, and we’re still really good friends—he was even one of my groomsmen at my wedding. It worked out better than most business partnerships that end, and he’s told me since that the podcast wouldn’t have become what it is if he’d stayed on. There’s no resentment on either side.

Ina Coveney: That’s great to hear. So at what point did you start thinking about doing a live event? Was that always part of the plan?

Justin Schenck: The idea of bringing people together was always in the back of my mind. Even before the podcast, I wanted to create experiences where people could connect, learn, and grow. About two years into the podcast, I realized I had an audience, and I started thinking about how to bring them together. In May 2018, I got fired from my corporate job, which gave me the freedom to pursue entrepreneurship full-time. By August of that same year, I announced my first live event. It felt like the right time to take the leap.

Ina Coveney: For anyone listening who’s thinking about doing a live event, what are three things they absolutely need to know?

Justin Schenck: Great question. First, understand that not everyone who follows you or listens to you will buy a ticket. Be realistic about your audience and your expectations.
Second, focus on creating an unforgettable experience. It’s not just about the information—people will remember how they felt. You want them to leave saying, “When’s the next one?” and sharing their experience with others who’ll want to attend next time.
Third, know that events are expensive. Seriously expensive. People don’t realize how much light, sound, food, and venue rentals cost. Take the risk into consideration and ask yourself if you have the infrastructure to pull it off the way you envision.

Ina Coveney: That’s solid advice. So let me ask, what do you think is the biggest misconception people have about you as a successful businessperson?

Justin Schenck: I’d say the biggest misconception is that I’m unreachable. People will DM me and get a voice memo back from me, and they’re shocked. They’ll say, “I can’t believe you responded!” Or they’ll message me thinking it’s a long shot to have me on their podcast, and I’ll say, “Of course, I’d be honored.” I used to think the same about people I admired—until I started asking. Another misconception is that my podcast personality is fake. When people meet me at events, they’re like, “Wow, you’re the same in real life as you are on your podcast!” I find it funny that some people assume I’d be different.

Ina Coveney: Finally, if everyone listening had to do one thing in the next 24 hours—no excuses, no backing out—what would that one thing be?

Justin Schenck: I’d say come up with two to three small things you can do daily to take care of yourself. As entrepreneurs, we often feel like we have to hustle nonstop or constantly give to others. But you can’t pour from an empty cup. These things can be as simple as learning something new, going for a walk, or meditating. Start doing them daily, and I guarantee you’ll see massive results—not just in yourself, but in your work and your relationships.

Ina Coveney: I love that. Justin Schenck, it’s been such a pleasure. Where can everyone find you and connect with you?

Justin Schenck: First of all, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this, so thank you. People can search for my podcast, Growth Now Movement, wherever they’re listening to this podcast. Hit subscribe and join me on the journey! I’m also very active on Instagram, so you can find me at @JustinTSchenck. The spelling will be in the show notes because no one ever gets it right!

Ina Coveney: Thank you so much, Justin. It’s been awesome. Thank you for sharing so openly with us.

Justin Schenck: Thank you for giving me the space to dive into places I haven’t before. It’s been a great conversation.