From $20/Week to First Class: Podcasting Saved My Life
- 7 Minute Read
Payman Lorenzo believes that podcasting saved his life. Through hearing the stories of others in hardship, he found the strength to tune into his intuition and grow. His podcast success story is inspiring — and another example of what can happen when business strategy and inner wisdom combine. The result? Exponential growth.
In this week’s episode of the Inner Business Podcast, I’m excited to share Payman’s journey with you. He’s not afraid to go deep, and his story will move and inspire you.
So what can we all learn from Payman’s journey?
An idea kept coming back… start a podcast. When the same thought returns again and again, it isn’t just your mind — it’s your soul.
Podcasting Saved My Life: From $20 a Week to Thriving
At his lowest point, Payman’s once-successful e-commerce business was collapsing, COVID was hitting, and he was living on just $20 a week in Hong Kong. It’s the kind of moment that forces you to question everything. These are the moments where the challenge cracks us open and shows us where the gold really shines. This is where so many business transformation stories begin — in survival mode, where no amount of business strategy can pull you out. Not by itself anyway.
Payman’s story is a reminder that tuning into your intuition in business matters just as much as planning. Without it, you risk building on “shoulds,” running in circles, or staying stuck instead of moving into alignment.
He speaks openly about how that misalignment was showing up for him — what it was costing him and why he would later say, with complete honesty, that podcasting saved my life.
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The Intuitive Nudge That Changed Everything
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Back in Canada, Payman thought he was rebuilding by leaning on what he knew — Kickstarter and e-commerce.
With COVID shutting down opportunities, he saw podcasting as a way to gather support for a campaign he hoped would get him back on track. But the universe has a funny way of getting us where we need to be.
Instead of a quick fundraising tool, the podcast became a way to interview over 100 people and collect their stories. Stories of hardship that gave him hope and lifted him out of his own struggle. The more he listened, the more he kept hearing the nudge to keep sharing these stories.
In the end, the Kickstarter “problem” fell away — and what was left was a successful podcast and people asking him to show them how to do what he did.
Tuning into what felt right and be able to let go of what he thought he “should” do lead him to the success he has today.
A Podcast Success Story: From Guests to Clients
What started as a side project quickly turned into a podcast success story.
After publishing more than 100 episodes, Payman had built credibility and trust simply by showing up and sharing. Guests and listeners began reaching out, not to back a Kickstarter, but to ask him for something else entirely:
“Can you help me launch my podcast?”
The first weekend he said yes, he landed six clients. Within ten months, that number had grown to sixty.
Almost without realising it, the e-commerce guy had become known as the podcasting guy — proof that when you follow the nudge, new doors open.
Business Transformation Through Service Over Self
The real business transformation came when Payman shifted from chasing money to focusing on service over self.
In his words, it was no longer about “me, me, me, money, money, money” — it was about helping others. That change in focus gave him confidence, clarity, and momentum.
He realised that his ideal client was simply a past version of himself, and that his greatest struggles were exactly what equipped him to serve.
As he puts it: “Your crap is your gold.” What once felt like failure became the foundation of a thriving business — proof that intuition in business and strategy rooted in service can create lasting success.
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Lessons for Your Own Profitable Podcast Launch
Payman’s story is living proof that the most powerful business transformation stories happen when intuition in business meets smart strategy.
In this conversation he reveals seven lessons:
- how hitting rock bottom became the turning point;
- why following the nudge matters; how podcasting saved his life by creating connection;
- the power of consistency and publishing 100 episodes;
- why service over self creates momentum;
- how “your crap is your gold” turns struggle into value;
- and proof you can succeed without a big audience (six clients in a weekend, sixty in ten months).
These are the beats of a true podcast success story. Tune in to hear the full story and how these lessons can shape your next move.
Skip to the Part You Need
0:00– Introduction
0:41– Meet Payman Lorenzo (Leaders with a Heart)
3:32– Rock bottom: Living on $20 a week in Hong Kong
6:00– Asking better questions & the lesson in hardship
10:02– 100 episodes later: from podcast to clients
18:00(est.) – “Podcasting saved my life” reflections (we can refine this — appears earlier too)
36:03– The breakthrough: Service over self
40:00(est.) – “Your crap is your gold” + final takeaways