In this powerful holiday episode of The Jeff Heilman Project, Jeff and Jessica open up about what it really means to face loneliness, sadness, and emotional heaviness during the Christmas season. From family dynamics to dopamine regulation, to rewriting the stories we tell ourselves — this episode goes deep into practical tools for restoring joy, strengthening mental resilience, and creating a healthier narrative for the upcoming year.

Jeff shares raw personal experiences about homelessness, addiction in the family, and breaking generational cycles — and explains how facts + opinions = your narrative, and how changing the opinions part can transform your life. Jessica dives into the emotional side of unresolved “mental rent,” unsolved mysteries, grief cycles, and why the holidays trigger old wounds.

They also break down:
• How dopamine, serotonin, and sunlight affect your holiday emotions
• Why walking, sleep, hydration, and self-care drastically reduce loneliness
• How to set boundaries with family (Zoom Christmas is okay!)
• How to write down facts vs. fiction to clean up your mental narrative
• Why routines and circadian rhythm protect your mental health
• Jeff’s biphasic sleep schedule, maker time, and how he built his life back up
• How to choose joy and stop letting the past write your future
• Why success begins with reading, studying, and feeding your mind the right inputs

If you're feeling heavy this season — you're not alone. You’re our friends, and we’re here to support you.
If you're struggling deeply, please reach out to someone who can help — but if you just need encouragement or a friendly check-in, message us anytime.

You are not alone.
Your story is not finished.

Support the show

Watch our video version of this podcast exclusively on YouTube!

https://www.youtube.com/@thejeffheilmanproject

Our email: Thejeffheilmanproject.contact@gmail.com

Don't forget to like, comment, and follow if you enjoyed this podcast and want to hear more!

Jeff Heilman - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jeffheilman/
Jessica Heilman - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jessicabuilds/

In today’s episode of The Jeff Heilman Project, Jeff and Jessica dive deep into one of the most painful—and most transformative—realities of entrepreneurship and life: rejection. Whether you’re building a startup, pitching investors, trying to close clients, leading a team, or simply navigating friendships and relationships, rejection is inevitable. But how you handle it will determine everything.

Drawing from Jeff’s 30 years in Silicon Valley startups, private equity, VC, and leadership, and Jessica’s experience as a pastor, mother of seven, and student of the humanities, this episode blends business strategy, emotional intelligence, psychology, and spiritual grounding to help you develop an unshakeable frame.

🔥 In This Episode You’ll Learn:

1. Why rejection hurts—and why it doesn’t have to.

Jeff shares personal stories of being fired, laid off, and losing companies—and how meeting a billionaire VC changed his perspective on failure forever.

2. The truth behind elite performers:

How world-class founders, billionaires, and creators use rejection as fuel rather than evidence of inadequacy.

3. The power of intent in your work.

Why working for money creates fragility—and why working for identity and becoming creates resilience, purpose, and long-term success.

4. The psychology of “never getting rejected.”

Jessica explains how the real pros avoid rejection entirely by listening, recognizing social cues, playing the long game, and serving instead of selling.

5. Frame control for entrepreneurs (Hermozi fans, this is for you).

Jeff breaks down concepts from Pitch Anything, frame control, validation-seeking behavior, and how to operate from sovereignty rather than emotional reactivity.

6. Why surrounding yourself only with “yes men” destroys your growth.

Learn why high-level performers need friends, mentors, and truth-tellers—not cheerleaders.

7. How to turn rejection into raw power.

What David Goggins teaches about turning criticism into energy, and why autobiographies of great leaders are essential for perspective.

8. Sarah Blakely’s billion-dollar lesson in caring more.

How obsession with serving—not credentials—built one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in history.

9. How to detach your identity from someone else’s “no.”

Rejection is rarely about you. It’s usually about timing, fear, unreadiness, or someone not wanting to be served yet.

🎧 Perfect For Listeners Who:

• Are building or scaling a business
• Want to improve their emotional toughness
• Are tired of letting “no” derail their goals
• Enjoy Hermozi, Goggins, Jocko, or Ed Mylett
• Are ambitious family men who want to lead well
• Want the blend of humanities + entrepreneurship that makes this podcast unique

🙏 Thanks for Listening!

If today’s episode challenged, inspired, or encouraged you, please follow, rate, review, and share The Jeff Heilman Project. Your support helps us grow, serve more people, and bring the humanities back into entrepreneurship.

Support the show

Watch our video version of this podcast exclusively on YouTube!

https://www.youtube.com/@thejeffheilmanproject

Our email: Thejeffheilmanproject.contact@gmail.com

Don't forget to like, comment, and follow if you enjoyed this podcast and want to hear more!

Jeff Heilman - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jeffheilman/
Jessica Heilman - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jessicabuilds/

Most people think achieving goals is about hustle, discipline, and long nights.
But what if real achievement starts with something far simpler—raising your set point?

In this episode of The Jeff Heilman Project, Jeff and Jessica Heilman sit down to unpack what it really takes to achieve your biggest goals — whether it’s building a business, transforming your body, or building something as simple (and as meaningful) as a new podcast studio.

Jessica shares how she’s turning a dream into reality by building Podcast Room B from scratch — framing walls, hanging drywall, and creating a creative space for her and her daughter’s upcoming show. It’s not just a construction project — it’s a metaphor for what it means to set a goal, raise your standard, and execute with intention.

Jeff dives deep into a life-changing experience: the year he made $300,147.50 — a goal he set with no clue how he’d reach it. Through consistency, faith, and a total identity shift, he discovered that success didn’t come from chasing numbers — it came from changing his standard of what was acceptable.

💡 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why you don’t achieve goals — you achieve standards
• The psychology of goal setting: how your set point determines your results
• How “constraint theory” can unlock your next level of productivity
• The secret to staying tidy and organized while chasing big goals
• Why wealth, discipline, and health are all tied to identity and structure
• The difference between cleaning up and tidying your habits
• The power of small daily systems — from Kanban boards to consistency
• Why rich people pour into health (and what you can do at any level)
• What Tiger Woods, Marie Kondo, and Woody Harrelson can teach you about peak performance
• How to rewire your mind for success and turn chaos into clarity

🧱 Topics Covered:

• Goal Setting & Identity Shift — How to make $300k by raising your floor, not chasing a ceiling
• Constraint Theory — The hidden key to productivity and purpose
• The Power of Standards — Why “I’m not going to accept this anymore” can change everything overnight
• Tidy vs. Clean — The life lesson Jessica found in Marie Kondo’s method that applies to your business and mind
• Wealth & Health — Why investing in your body and mind is the ultimate ROI
• Practical Goal Achievement — From Kanban boards to breaking goals down into micro-wins

💬 Quotes to Remember:

Support the show

Watch our video version of this podcast exclusively on YouTube!

https://www.youtube.com/@thejeffheilmanproject

Our email: Thejeffheilmanproject.contact@gmail.com

Don't forget to like, comment, and follow if you enjoyed this podcast and want to hear more!

Jeff Heilman - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jeffheilman/
Jessica Heilman - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jessicabuilds/