Episode 37 - Self-Sabotage, Fear of Success, and Building a Career That Sees You

In this deep and emotionally resonant episode of The Six Figure Author Experiment, Russell and Lee go beyond marketing strategies to talk about what really holds authors back: fear of being seen, fear of momentum, and the resistance that shows up when we’re close to success.

Lee opens up about launch avoidance, the anxiety of visibility, and the physical effects of pushing through emotional blocks. Together, they explore the tension between doing the “right things” and sabotaging yourself at the moment it matters most. From co-author dynamics to the pressure of performance, from setting the vulnerability level in your community to crafting transformational fiction—this episode is a masterclass in emotional clarity and sustainable authorship.

If you’ve ever found yourself procrastinating the most important thing, questioning your worth, or wondering why you can’t seem to follow through—this episode is for you.

Topics Covered:

* Why self-sabotage isn’t laziness—it’s fear of transformation

* The surprising emotional toll of being seen and gaining momentum

* Co-author partnerships and the temptation to hide behind others

* How fear can manifest as over-productivity, burnout, and avoidance

* Physical anxiety responses to visibility and viral success

* Setting the vulnerability tone in small reader communities

* Why readers share: building emotional resonance over gimmicks

* Using fiction to help readers (and ourselves) feel deeply seen

* How dark romance, fantasy, and smut can become safe containers for exploration

* Forest author marketing: transformation, resonance, and identity

* The myth of “needing to connect more” vs. letting your work connect

* Russell’s insight: “Nobody loves your book because you wrote it well”

* Understanding your true offer: what transformation does your book provide?

* Marketing as a conduit—not the transformation itself

* Scaling slowly and sustainably: from one-person bootcamps to lasting legacy

* 31 launches in 36 months: the consequences of saying yes to everything

* Letting go of cluttered calendars to build something amplifiable

* Six Figure series case study: https://millionaire-author-coaching.teachable.com/l/pdp/six-figure-series-case-study

* Book marketing bootcamp:

https://millionaire-author-coaching.teachable.com/p/bookmarketingbootcamp

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.sixfigureauthorexperiment.com