Episode 116 · October 17, 2023
How Do You Stay True to Yourself on Your Path to Purpose?
with Aaron Belsley, Founder of Next Tier; founding Executive Director of Tulsa Remote
52 min
How Do You Stay True to Yourself on Your Path to Purpose?
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In this episode
In this episode I sit down with Aaron Belsley, and I have to tell you, this conversation stayed with me. Aaron grew up in Tulsa, and his path took him from Booker T. Washington to OU, back home to Tulsa Community College, and eventually to Berklee College of Music — the number one music school in the world. From there he landed at Universal Music Group's Verve Records and then at Apple, where he was part of the team that helped launch and grow the iTunes movie store and expand it into more than a hundred countries.
What I love about Aaron is his honesty about the failures tucked inside that impressive resume. He didn't get into Belmont. He didn't get the internship he set his heart on at Apple. And yet he stayed open to opportunities as they showed up — and those detours became the making of him. He shares his image of life not as a marathon or a sprint, but as a hike that winds in different directions, and I think so many of us needed to hear that.
We also talk about his heart for Tulsa — from helping build Tulsa Remote on the ground floor to his newest venture, Next Tier. Underneath all of it is a real conviction about privilege, access, and creating pathways so every child in Tulsa can meet someone who looks like them doing what they dream of doing. It's a raw, generous conversation about staying true to yourself while you chase your passion and purpose. Keep going — I think you'll see yourself in this one.
Key takeaways
- Life isn't a marathon or a sprint — it's a hike. It moves in different directions, and if you keep your eyes open you'll gain profound skills along the way.
- Coming home or 'starting over' isn't backtracking. Aaron returned to Tulsa and TCC, and that season became the pathway to his dream school. Who cares what other people think?
- Stay open to opportunities as they appear. Aaron never planned to intern at a record label or work in movies, but saying yes to the unexpected opened every door that followed.
- Bring your whole heart to whatever you're doing. His old graphic design skills made him instantly valuable as an intern — proof that nothing you learn is wasted.
- Success is a mix of luck, hard work, and perspective. You can't control the lucky breaks, but you can choose how you see and use what comes your way.
- Ask the questions. An abundance mindset on a team — sharing, supporting, protecting each other — can be the difference between making it and not. And most people around you feel like impostors too, so give yourself grace.
- Real success can look like freedom: waking up and actively choosing your work. And lasting affirmation has to come from within, not from external validation or the brands you hide behind.
“People say life is a marathon, not a sprint. It's neither, it's a hike. And it goes in different directions and you explore and you learn. And as long as you keep your eyes open, you're gonna gain some pretty profound skills along the way.”
“Potential is always going to be greater than reality. One of the hardest things that we do to ourselves is compare the reality that we have with the potential that we can fathom.”
“While we can't send them off to everywhere, we can bring everywhere to here — and that's the true opportunity.”
“To me, success is getting to wake up every single morning and making an active decision as to whether or not I wanna do what I'm doing. I feel invigorated by the work that I'm doing, and to me, that is ultimate success.”
About Aaron
Founder of Next Tier; founding Executive Director of Tulsa Remote
A Tulsa native and Booker T. Washington graduate, Aaron studied at OU and Tulsa Community College before finishing his degree at Berklee College of Music. His career took him to Universal Music Group's Verve Records in digital marketing and then to Apple, where he worked on iTunes music and movie operations and helped lead a global expansion into more than 100 countries. He returned home to help build Tulsa Remote on the ground floor and is now the founder of Next Tier, helping businesses and communities innovate — including simplifying how companies get effective websites built.
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