Your Talk Game Is Soft—You Need an On-Air Sparring Partner

Most people don’t get better on the air because they never put themselves under pressure before the mic turns on. You need a pressure cooker challenging the way you communicate.

If you really want to sharpen your on-air instincts—your comebacks, your timing, your ability to think instead of ramble—you need a sparring partner.

You need someone who throws real punches at you. Someone who challenges your on air statements. Someone who makes you uncomfortable by practicing with you off air on a weekly basis. Mental gymnastics training that will teach how to cut the BS. Someone to help you say what you mean. These are practice sessions done off air to get you ready to verbally thump with anybody that comes in your studio.

That’s how you stop repeating the same angles and start finding new ones.

This is thinking-on-your-feet training.

It’s resistance training for your mind.

Just like lifting weights in the gym, you’re strengthening your talk game. Your reactions. Your clarity. Your presence.

Do this a couple times a week and watch how your verbal fluency gets sharper.

You will stop wasting words and get to the point quicker.

Clarity becomes your calling card and people will enjoy listening to the real you. This will kill the anxiety you have about your ability to deal with hostile guest and interviews.

Respect is Given To Those Who Speak With Certainty

Become Addicted to Clarity

This year, get into the habit of speaking straight words when you communicate.

Stop babbling around what you actually want to say.

How do you carry weight in a conversation?
By being direct. By being clear. By being honest in your speech.

Eliminate filler words at all costs.

I break that down here:
https://insideurbanmedia.blogspot.com/2026/01/brevity-separates-professionals-from.html

The quickest way to lose your audience’s attention is not being sure of what you’re trying to say.

Practice clarity every single day.

Trying to impress people with lingo Jingo long winding statements you heard a CNN talking head use does not make you the smartest person in the studio. It makes you sound like you take pride in borrowing statements from other people.

Radio needs original thinking.
You must give people what they can’t get anywhere else.

That kind of radio requires time—time to think, time to write, time to formalize your thoughts on paper and then give your audience your take. That’s how you become interesting in your market.

And in podcasting—just because you can talk for 20 minutes or an hour doesn’t mean you should fill time with useless information.

Get to the point.
Then expound—only if you have something meaty we should know.

Otherwise, move on. Don’t bore your audience.

Practice speaking with certainty and extreme clarity so you don’t have to keep repeating yourself.

Speaking with certainty does not mean ending sentences with, “Right?”

That’s not confidence—that’s asking permission.

When you do that, you’re giving off uncertainty. That’s weak energy. Stop it.

Communication is an art. And like any art, it must be constantly cultivated as part of your personal development.

You must own the words you speak.

Team—this only comes from daily practice with yourself.

Take a long drive and talk to yourself as if you’re talking to an audience.
Record yourself.
Play it back in the speakers while you’re riding around town.

I record myself on my iPhone, play it through the car speakers, and immediately hear where I’m falling short in clarity.

Do this weekly.

It will sharpen your talk game.

Become addicted to being clear.

“If this is speaking to you, you’re who I write for.” Leave a comment

The No-Runway Rule: Just Say It — No Long Set-Ups

The No Runway Rule simply means this: no long setups.

Just get into it.

We don’t need to see how clever you are in the way you set up a topic on the air. Tell us what you want to talk about — and say it. The most frustrating thing I hear, over and over, is someone doing a long, drawn-out introduction to a thought.

I’m listening and saying to myself, Oh my God….

You get seven seconds these days to hold someone’s attention. When you do long setups, you risk people tuning you out immediately — and sometimes they never come back.

That’s what we mean by the No Runway Rule.
Don’t take off from the other side of the airport.

By the time you finally get to the point, the energy is already gone.

Sam Weaver used to get on us all the time in aircheck meetings.
“Guys, it’s taking you too long to get to the point,” he’d say.
“Get into it — and land the plane.”

This is my operating system. Leave the audience wanting more.

Less is more.

A radio show is a continuous taste test.
Taste this.
The listener takes a bite.
I like that.
Give me more?

Nope — you’ve got to come back for the next break and get another hit.

That’s how you increase time spent listening. The audience is always looking for their next hit — a dopamine hit — from you. Not because you talk a lot, but because they like what you do between the music. Now if you are doing talk radio, it's the same concept. You've got to know when to move on from beating a dead horse. When the energy is gone, you must move on.

This is art.

Thoughtful, strategic moments of pleasure for the listener.

People will tell you, “Hey, I like your show — but you guys don’t talk enough.”
They told me that in Dallas. I said it works! that was unusual. Nobody has ever said that to me.

But most of the time, the real listener complaint is:
“You talk too much.”

What they’re really saying is: You’re in the way. You are bothering me

You’re disturbing the experience.
You’re not interesting enough to justify the interruption.

So practice this discipline:

Practice getting into what you want to say in 7 to 10 seconds.
No long setups.
Straight words only.

Do that — and watch the difference.

Why Being Your True Self Is Non-Negotiable: A New Way to Execute Your Show Everyday

There comes a time in your life when you have to face the uncertainty that comes with revealing who you really are every time you open the microphone.

I keep writing about the fear of judgment from other people because it is the number one self-imposed prison people live in.

Some of us have convinced ourselves that what we have to say is not important. That’s low self-esteem talking. And nobody will fix your self esteem problem but you.

We let mediocre people pass us by because we have not worked on our own personal development. That work is yours exclusively.

I remember rushing myself through sentences because I thought people wanted me to hurry up and shut up. In my head, there were imaginary people waving me off, pressuring me to be quiet. So I strung together sentences that didn’t land the way I wanted them to. I hurried through breaks. I cringe now, because that version of me is so far away from where I stand today.

Today — lol — I don’t give a skip who doesn’t like what I say or how I say it.

But let me be clear: that didn’t happen by accident. That took work. It took honest introspection. It took me correcting myself so I could become a personality I was proud of. The work that is done in private is the real work. This is how I got better. I can only share with you on how I curated my own self improvement plan.

When you get to the point where you only say what you mean, watch how differently people respond to you.

Let go of who you think people want you to be.
Let go of playing roles around certain people.
Start speaking with intention.

Why can’t you say and do what you actually want to say and do?

Authenticity is when your words are truthful and you believe every one of them. You can defend every word fiercely. This becomes your new oxygen — truthful statements.

I only say what I believe.
I’m not generic.
I’m not swayed.
I’m me.

Reprogram the way you communicate. Period.

Start by saying things in a brutally honest manner. Practice this today. Master your speech. Send out the frequency of power — not the frequency of hesitation and uncertainty. That frequency is not attractive.

Power is what we want. Practice speaking like a bow and arrow shot from your mouth, on its way to it's intended target. Not to hurt anyone, just for clarity’s sake.

Every time we open our mouths, we should be speaking our freedom — like we belong here on this planet. Because we do.

You were invited here by God and nobody else. 

So act like it.

You are never doing us a favor by diminishing the God in you!

I hope this resonates with you. If it did leave a comment and share this article with someone who needs it.

How Much of You Is Actually On The Air?

Talk about stuff that excites you.

Here is a question you should ask yourself before you put material on the air:
Why are you telling me this?

There is a difference between things you have to say on the air—programming notes, contests, important news, breaking events—and choosing material meant to specifically entertain and connect with your audience.

When you are preparing for a four-hour radio show, are you intentionally weeding out material you are genuinely interested in talking about?

How much of who you really are is actually going into your show?

How many personal stories are you sharing with your audience?

The more personal you are, the more people connect. Most people are afraid of emotional exposure.
If I say what’s in my whole heart, will they accept me? Will they laugh at me?

Well—let’s see.

Courage + Vulnerability = Connection.

Share your life on the air. Building trust is by far the most important thing you should value with your audience. It’s worth everything.

Always know this:
The most powerful frequency to ever leave a human body is the frequency of truth.

That is the real power available to you every moment you choose to share something.
The frequency of truth is undefeated. It is your superpower.

You just have to let it go—and watch how people respond to you.

Here’s an exercise I want you to try:

Write down a list of the 10 things you know to be true about yourself.
Now ask yourself—how much of that is making it onto the air?

If none of it is, you have work to do.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

“If the Universe Operates on Truth, Why Are You Fake on the Air?”

The earth rotates at a terrific speed of 1,037 and one-third miles per hour, spinning on its axis 24 hours a day—never varying from that assigned speed. 

The sun rises in the east every morning and sets in the west every evening.

This is the truth we experience every day.
This is the harmony of the universe.

So while we are broadcasting, are we in harmony with truth?
Or are we not saying how we truly feel?

A lie accounts for nothing.

It has no weight to support it.

The truth is supported by the universe.
It is as real as the ground you stand on.

When you are on the air, everything that comes out of your mouth should be a true statement.
That’s how you let the world know you are alive—and where you come from.

That is truth.

Humans are constructed with a nervous system designed to pick up truth, whether they acknowledge it or not.
We are all born with a piece of the Creator of the heavens and the earth inside of us.

Your DNA is a blueprint of your existence.
That is truth of what you are made of.

So why aren’t you and I brave enough to express who and what you are and what we think?

Why do we cower when we want to say a statement of truth coming from the deepest part of ourselves—and stop the magic from happening because we fear the judgment of other people?

Fear restricts us.

The only fear that is necessary is the fear of God.
All other fear should and must be gotten rid of.

It is disrespectful to the God who created you to be fearful of anything but Him.
He is the author and finisher of your life.

Nobody else had a hand in creating you except your mother and father—and even they didn’t fully know you while you were forming in the womb. One day they were simply informed that you were there, growing.

You were invited here to share and contribute to God’s creation.

You and I are a part of it.

So why would you ever think what you have to say—from your own heart—is not important?

I write this because I want you to know how important your voice is, and to never doubt it.
These other people talking out here are not better than you.

People admire people who speak their minds. Stop putting other people on these pedestals!

I am encouraging you to be a truth teller every time you crack the mic.

Here’s what you’ve got to understand about the truth:

1. The truth is revealing. The Truth is vulnerability.

2. People are naturally attracted to people who are honest.

3. Comedy is truth. Study Dave Chappelle. All he’s doing is speaking truth and embellishing it. He makes truth funny. He practices and owns his material. You can do the same.

4. Truth is not vulgarity. It’s not shock-jock behavior or saying things just for clicks. That’s not truth. Things you end up apologizing for usually aren’t the real you talking. People should never apologize for telling the truth—though there are ways to say things without intentionally hurting people. Check your intent. Can you stand on what you said?

5. If you’ve never spoken straight words like this, give it time. Give yourself permission to be honest. This is the secret sauce in your broadcasting career—your ability to be honest in speech and practice.

Truth will free you—and expose the people who have been around you the whole time.

You will repel the fake people in your life.
And that’s exactly what you want.

Be a man.
Be a woman willing to stand alone on what you believe.

Stop being a punk. LOL.

I really want us to change—in 2026.
You and I should want to be in harmony with the universe, because that is our protection.

The truth of who you really are will protect you.
You can trust it.

Practice this this week and watch how differently your listeners respond to you.

If this article resonated with you, send it to people you care about—people you’re rooting for.

This is the change we all need to transform our lives.

Who’s Mentoring the Next Generation of Black Radio?

 Good mentorship is missing in radio.

It feels like no one is preparing people who truly love this business to deal with its real pitfalls. The learning conferences are gone. The spaces where you could network, listen, and be mentored disappeared.

When our giants passed, the concern for the next generation was buried with them.

We still have award banquets—patting ourselves on the back for work we did decades ago—but that’s where it stops.

So I’ll ask: Who is mentoring the next generation of Black broadcasters?

We had mentors. Someone showed us how to survive the politics, the egos, and the instability of this business.

What about them?

Give me some feedback on this statement. Do you find this to be an issue?

Brevity Separates Professionals From Amateurs: Why Talking Too Long is Killing Your Show

Why do people disregard being brief as important?

I was at an event last night where a dear friend of mine, a campaign manager for a local candidate, was introducing her client. I don’t think she meant to talk that long, but the introduction stretched to almost five minutes. She kept running sentences together explaining what the candidate stood for to the point where we didn’t even need to hear from the person running for office.

I said to myself, people don’t have a cadence calculator in their head telling them, you’re talking too long. And I asked myself, why is she doing this?

We have to teach people when enough is enough.

Some of it may be self-importance. But I honestly think most people have no idea how much time they’re taking up when they speak. That introduction should have been 30 to 35 seconds. No more.

You should always be mindful of people’s time — in every circumstance.

I’ve trained myself to speak in soundbites. When you’re truly passionate about what you’re saying, you’ll know it. It flows out of you. You’re not searching for words. You’re not pausing to stack filler on top of filler. Thoughts come down like a mountain stream — point after point — until you’re done.

That’s when you know you’re making impact statements.

Impact statements come when you speak from the heart and stop worrying about how your words will be received.

Try to be brief. Try to be concise.

Filler words drive me crazy.

“You know… like… um… what I’m trying to say is…”

Those filler words are usually followed by word salad — generic, empty, and lifeless. And it leaves you with the conclusion that this person just likes to hear themselves talk. Then they keep adding sentences, like cabooses on a train.

You ever sit at a railroad crossing watching car after car go by, wondering, when is this going to end? You see people making U-turns, trying to escape.

That’s what listeners are doing when we bore them instead of getting to the point.

I wrote about this before in The First Exit Rule (https://insideurbanmedia.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-first-exit-rule-why-great-radio.html ). 

People enjoy being around you more when you learn to be brief and specific. 

This is something you have to be conscious of every time you speak.

Here’s the filler-word list that needs to be eliminated:

Um
Uh
Er
Ah
Mm
Like
You know
I mean
So
Well
Basically
Actually
Literally (often misused)
Right?
Okay
Alright
Yeah
Sort of / Kind of
You know what I’m saying
At the end of the day
To be honest
In terms of
At this point
For the most part
Stuff like that
Things like that
I think
I feel like
In my opinion
It’s almost like
What it really comes down to
If that makes sense

These words need to be eliminated from your vocabulary.

Before you use a filler word, take a silent pause instead. Silence shows confidence. Filler words show uncertainty.

This is why reading and writing matter. They sharpen your thinking and force you to respect language. Take pride in how you communicate — no matter who you’re talking to.

Our job is to be as clear as possible when we speak to other human beings.

If this hit you, you’re not alone.
I write for people who are done performing and done asking permission to be great on the air.

Bookmark this.

Most Radio People Don’t Practice — And It Shows

Practice in Private

Work on your communication skills every day. Don’t wait to hit the airwaves to say some of the important things you want to say on your show. Rehearse it in private. Hear how it sounds coming out of your mouth. Record yourself saying what you feel about a certain topic and ask yourself, does this sound interesting enough to put on the air?

1. How quickly are you recalling the words you want to use to make your points?

Are you searching for words between your ums and you know what I’m saying? Is it coming out of you effortlessly with no brain fog? If not, it may not be as good as you thought it was going to be. If you are using a bunch of filler words to make your point, you are not clear about what it is you want to say, or you are afraid to speak straight words.

2. Are you saying it from your own perspective?
Did you hear something on CNN that you want to repeat to make you sound smart? Stop regurgitating what other people have already said.

3. Be original. Be brave and say what you feel inside about this topic or issue.
You may think you are weird, but I promise you other people are thinking the same thing, but who will say it. Say to yourself, "If I don't say it, I don't know who will say it". And it's true. Be original!!

Rehearsing in private removes the fear and familiarizes you with your content. There are so many ways to say the same thing. And How brief can you be?

This is something that really frustrates me when I listen to people fumble and bumble through a talk set. For One, you don’t have that much time to capture someone’s interest. It is taking people too long to make a simple point. Read my article:
https://insideurbanmedia.blogspot.com/2025/10/get-to-point-its-more-important-today.html

I can promise you one thing — by doing what I am suggesting every day, you will become more articulate than anybody in the room. If you take pride in paying attention to detail, you will stand out on the air. I am hearing too many lackluster performances on the radio these days. Set a new standard for yourself when you open the mic.

People will hear the difference.

If You’re Scared to Be You, We Can Hear It on the Air

Real power comes from saying what you mean.
When you speak to be accepted, you shrink.

The voice people remember is the one willing to risk it all by telling the truth and bypassing the need for approval. People can hear it. They can feel it when you’re performing instead of keeping it real.

The ego speaks from insecurity.

When you speak from the heart, you’re speaking from experience.

When you say what’s in your heart out in public, it’s always going to turn out right. What’s bigger than the truth? The truth is good—even when it separates you from people. If you came closer to me because I lied, but were repelled because I told the truth, that’s a good thing. Truth always does its job if you let it.

Comedy is truth.
It’s the embellishment of truth.

Having the nerve to say what people are already thinking—that’s the truth of comedy. When you lose your fear of being judged for how you think, you become funnier on your show.

Shedding fear is freedom.
You’ve got to find some courage in yourself when you speak. Just say what’s true—and you’ll be impactful. The great power in the universe is always truth. The more truth you speak, the more powerful you will become as a communicator. Make a pledge that for the next 30 days, everything that comes out of your mouth is the way you really feel, and watch what happens. Let me know how it's going and leave me a comment.

Compliance Isn’t Chemistry: It's Self Betrayal In The Game Of On Air Power Dynamics

 

The Role of the Dummy Is Not for You

Now this one may ruffle the feathers of the ego-driven maniac host out there. But this is really for the scared-to-death co-host — the one who’s afraid of losing their job working next to an insecure personality who needs to be the center of attention for four straight hours a day.

I’ve watched radio hosts demand compliance from the people around them. You can always tell when you’re dealing with an insecure host — everything has to orbit them. Every idea has to pass through their ego. Every moment has to reinforce that they are the star.

You come in with good ideas. Real ideas. Ideas that could make the show better.

They shut them down.

Then they replace your ideas with corny, forced material nobody relates to — and somehow expect you to pretend it’s genius. Meanwhile, your nervous system is on fire every day you walk into the studio.

So what do you do?

First — even if that person intimidates you a little — you have to ask them the question:

Why are you running the show like this?

If you get a bull-jive answer, take it to the PD. If the PD sides with the host, then you have a decision to make — and that decision is not necessarily leaving the station.

The real decision is this:

You stop betraying who you are in that studio.

Life is full of people like this. You can’t keep running from station to station thinking the next place will be free of insecure power games. You’ll meet these characters everywhere. Most people run. That’s the pattern. I'm asking you to challenge it.

Now let me speak directly to the host I’m describing.

Can you look in the mirror and ask yourself why you’re suffocating the people around you?

Because you’re setting yourself up for some heavy karma down the road. Lessons are coming — and many of them could’ve been avoided.

Let me help you.

1. Everybody wants to justify their existence on the show.
Talented people don’t want to sit there watching you hog the whole broadcast. Share the show. Let people breathe. Watch how the fun returns to the studio when the room doesn’t feel like a hostage situation. Ask your co-host's. Do you feel I am hogging the show? (Hell yeah!) LOL

2. Some people are selfish as hell and will never change.
If that’s the case, understand this: radio gigs are short-term assignments. Sometimes you’re at a station to learn a lesson, not to stay forever. Some people really can't see themselves.

Early in my career, a producer looked me dead in the face and asked, “Why did they hire you?” Then said, “I don’t support you.”
I laughed it off, because I thought he was joking. He wasn’t smiling.

My co-host had been there 15 years. He had been there 15 years. I already knew how this story would end.

I got fired. They got me up out of there. And yeah — I laughed afterward. But it was a lesson.

3. Nobody is going to protect your career but you.
Don’t laugh off disrespect in the studio. When people slight you, they’re testing how much you’re willing to take. They’re trying to box you into a role in their mind.

You know when you don’t like something.

One day — don’t laugh.

Self-respect is your responsibility. Not theirs.

It’s critical that you recognize early when someone is playing games with you. Let them Know.

“I see you.”

I know I’m helping someone right now who feels trapped in an ensemble cast where somebody else is assigning a role you don't want to play.

There are roles in radio.

But the role of the dummy is not for you.

And for the hosts reading this — when you do give people space, you still have to watch the ones who overstep. You stop that immediately. Say, “Hey man, I don’t need you to do that.”

Only one hand on the steering wheel.

When you know you’re betraying yourself by not speaking up the moment boundaries are crossed, it weakens you. You feel the loss of control immediately. If you don’t address it, it goes straight into the passive-aggressive folder — and that's your poison.

You’ve got to get over the fear of correcting people.

It is your show.

If this is happening, you can correct it this year. Be honest in staff meetings. Don’t flinch. Make transparency the rule so everyone’s nervous system can relax. Free the people on the show. We are supposed to be having fun on the air and not tense.

Those knots in people’s stomachs can disappear.

And when they do, the magic of great radio shows up again.

I had to do it.

Leadership requires it.

Your ambition won’t let you bypass the hard part — learning how to lead people through discomfort. This is your training ground.

Everyone has to grow.

Or they die on the vine.

Hope this helps. Leave a comment and let me know.

Speak Plainly On The Air — The Way Grown People Speak When They’re Done Pretending

This year, if you have made up your mind that you are done playing a character just so somebody will accept you, you are in the right honey hole. This is what I talk about on this blog. I’m talking to the people who want to be free.

At some point, you won’t need me anymore. I’m just here to get you on the road to being your true self — your unapologetic self — when you open your mouth to speak on your show or anywhere else.

What we all want is to be understood.
But what happens when people don’t agree with you?

Do you change your viewpoint because they don’t understand?

Can you stand alone in your viewpoint?
Are you a spineless person who shifts just because the room disagrees with you?
Are you going to crawl back into the herd because your thinking makes you an outlier?

Do this for me — and this is honest.
People will trust you when you agree with truth. Just say, “Yes, I can agree with that.” Only agree with truth. Don’t let people coerce you into saying things you don’t believe. Hold your poise. Don’t get rattled. Pause. Speak from the heart.

When you speak from the strength of your own soul, you win.

The hard part is baring your soul. That’s the power of vulnerability I’ve talked about in other articles. Read this one when you get a moment:
https://insideurbanmedia.blogspot.com/2025/10/transparency-is-superpower-most.html

Here are some points to sit with:

1. The end of performing for acceptance

2. Freedom is an internal decision, not external permission

3. Being understood vs. being honest

4. The courage to stand alone

5. Truth over approval

6. Emotional self-control is power

7. Speaking from the soul (not the script) is undefeated . 

8. I’m talking to people who are tired of shrinking — tired of editing themselves, tired of being a sycophant in the room. You have a voice, but you’re afraid to use it because you’ve accepted a role that never fit you.

Growing out of that stage is uncomfortable at first. But you’ve got to go through it. This is what makes you a great communicator on air. This is what makes you interesting to listen to.

This is when your God-hood starts speaking for you — when you’re no longer afraid of being misunderstood or rejected. This is the “I Don’t Give a Damn” stage of life. Not talking about arrogance. For clarity, we are talking about how to stop pretending that you are this fake person that you know you are ashamed of. This is not you in what you are doing, and you know it. Stop it. I had to grow out of being this fake radio person aon air. It wasn’t until 2004 when I let if go. I was 19 years into my development as an on air personality. I'm trying to help somebody out there cut down the time of self discovery. You need somebody to help you with this. Coaching is the key.

If you’re young and reading this, get there earlier than me.
If you’re older, this is your destiny — if you’re willing to lose what comes with finally being your true, unapologetic self.

Right now on your show — whether you’re the host or the co-host — when you start making this shift, people are going to notice. So what?

Are you going to shrink every time it’s your turn to talk because someone looks at you a certain way?
Or are you going to look them dead in the eye and let them know you’ve woken up to the game?

Take your power back in the studio dynamic of ego gymnastics.

The people who compete with you don’t want you doing what I’m telling you to do. They want you to stay in your place. People who don’t want you to shine are true haters. I’ll be writing about that in 2026 — the jealous-hearted people in this industry. Ignore them.

So let me close with this:

You were meant to stand out.
And the moment you stop trying to be accepted is the moment your power shows up.

That fear you feel when it’s your turn to talk?
That hesitation when the room goes quiet?
That urge to shrink when someone looks uncomfortable?

That’s your growth knocking.

Open the door and walk through it.

Shock everybody with your bold brilliance and never shrink for anyone again. This isn’t arrogance — it’s freedom from the fear of being yourself in the room with others.

I don’t care who’s in the room.

Never shrink to make other people comfortable.

Carry this with you into the new year.

If this article resonated with you, send it to someone who needs this medicine.
Leave a comment.

“2026 is The Correction Year: Behind the Scenes Is Where Careers Are Built (10 Takeaways)

 Here are 10 takeaways from today's article. 

(“2026 is The Correction Year: Behind the Scenes Is Where Careers Are Built)

1. The Work You Don’t See Is the Work That Counts

Real growth happens behind the scenes. What you do when no one’s watching is what positions you for opportunity.

2. Most Talent Never Practices Off-Air
The biggest gap in radio isn’t talent — it’s preparation. Most people stop working the moment the mic turns off.

3. Preparation Separates You From Mediocrity
Putting 60–75% more thought into what you say daily instantly separates you from the average on-air voice.

4. Reading and Writing Are the Foundation
If you want to communicate better, you have to read more and write more. There’s no shortcut around that.

5. Early Struggles Shape Professional Discipline
Stuttering, insecurity, and fear forced growth. Writing became the tool that turned weakness into control.

6. Coaching and Accountability Matter
Strong leadership and honest feedback accelerate growth. Being pushed is a gift, not a threat.

7. Preparation Creates Opportunity and Pay Growth
Intentional practice led directly to bigger markets, higher pay, and career elevation.

8. Personal Discipline Is Non-Negotiable
No one can force you to improve. Growth only happens when you choose it daily.

9. Separation Comes From Effort, Not Talent
It’s easy to stand out when others are lazy. Consistency and detail create distance from the crowd.

10. 2026 Is a Correction Year
This is a year for accountability, recalibration, and karmic return — a time to build something lasting for those serious about the craft.

“2026 is The Correction Year: Behind the Scenes Is Where Careers Are Built

As we start off the new year of 2026, remember that the work you do behind the scenes is the work that will catapult you into the opportunities you hope for the most.

The show preparation, the practice, the show simulations to test things in private — that’s the work most talent does not do. Most radio people do not practice their craft off air. Once they get off the air, rehearsal for the next day is never given a thought.

In this new year, if you would just give 60 to 75 percent more thought into what you want to say to your audience every day, you would stand so tall above the mediocre crowd of talent in the world of radio. I keep talking about reading more and definitely writing more in all my articles. It is the cornerstone to becoming a much better communicator.

Back in the day when I started doing mornings at WQMG in Greensboro NC in 1990, they used to call me the stutter master. I was unsure of my next sentence sometimes, so I would stutter in certain moments. It bothered me so much that I started writing a script for myself to help me navigate through my breaks. I was nervous about making mistakes every day until I started doing this.

(I’ll find some of my old show prep material and share it with you one day. You have to do what you have to do to get better.)

Sam Weaver was my PD then, and he stayed on me. I had a great coach who wanted me to shine. And with Jasmine James as my co-host — who was super articulate — I had to go in the woodshed and and get better. I got tired of me being a running joke in our aircheck sessions. So yes I started writing things down. To this day I still like to write for my show. I have a lot to share with you on this subject, because this is what helped me grow. From Greensboro, I got my first big gig doing mornings at V-103 in Baltimore working with Roy Sampson. That period was from 1990 to September of 1992. I went from being a $21,000 morning man to a $72,000 talent in 1992. What a jump in salary and market size for a country boy from Goldsboro, NC. That was from Practice!

I’m including this information only to show you what intentional growth looks like when you strive to become better. This is a personal discipline that nobody can force you into. Make this year a correction year in your personal development as an on-air personality. Stop being lazy and begin being detailed with your work. It is not hard to stand out in the midst of lazy on-air talent in this industry. Separate yourself from that crowd with the intensity you put into your show preparation every day.

I’m hoping for the best for you in 2026. This is a correction year for all of us. I’ve heard it’s also being called a karmic year.

New Beginnings (Universal Year 1): 2026 adds up to a Universal Year 1, signifying fresh starts, innovation, and the courage to initiate new paths.
Karmic Tests (Saturn’s Influence): Ruled by Saturn, the planet of karma, 2026 highlights accountability, discipline, and facing the consequences of past actions to build lasting success.

If this challenged you, stay with me. I’m building something for people who take this craft seriously.” Let me know how I can help.