Ep 40 - One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: How Setbacks Are Setups for Success

Ever feel like you’re making progress…only to feel like you’re sliding backward? You book a win. Finish a project. Launch something new. And then—almost immediately—it feels like resistance shows up.

In this episode, Paul Steven Forrest talks candidly about a rhythm every creative knows well: progress that doesn’t always feel linear. Growth rarely looks like a straight line forward. More often, it looks like movement, friction, recalibration—and persistence.

If you’re a video creator, storyteller, or creative professional who’s questioning your momentum, this conversation will help reframe what real progress actually looks like. Sometimes “two steps back” isn’t failure. It’s feedback. It’s refinement. It’s part of becoming better at what you do.

In this episode: Paul reflects on the emotional and creative tension between momentum and setback—and why both are essential if you want your work (and career) to move forward with intention.

This episode is for anyone who: Feels stuck between progress and frustration Is questioning whether they’re actually moving forward. Needs perspective to keep going instead of pulling back. Because the goal isn’t perfection. It’s forward motion—even when it doesn’t feel clean.

🔗 Helpful Resources

📘 Get Paul’s book You REALLY Gotta See This! https://store.bookbaby.com/book/you-really-gotta-see-this 🎥 Watch him on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@paulstevenforrest

🎧 Listen & Subscribe 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/you-gotta-hear-this/id1706498253 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6E8Hh0z9wW5Y2Hj8x4y9Qp

If this episode resonates, take a moment to subscribe, rate, and share it with a fellow creative who might need this reminder today. Progress counts—even when it’s messy.

Connect with Paul at: paulstevenforrest.com