67. What Netflix's Full Swing Taught Me About Building a Creative Career

I need you to trust me for about 30 seconds — because I'm about to talk about golf.

I know, I know. Stay with me.

In this episode, I'm breaking down seven of the most powerful mindset lessons I pulled from the latest season of Netflix's Full Swing — and I promise, they have absolutely nothing to do with golf and everything to do with you, your creative career, and what might actually be keeping you stuck.

From Rory McIlroy's years of heartbreak at the Masters to Ben Griffin leaving the sport entirely — and somehow finding his way back — these stories cracked me open. I was aggressively taking notes. And I think you will be too.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] — Trust me for 30 seconds: we're talking about golf

[01:23] — Why sports documentaries are secret mindset courses in disguise

[01:53] — The latest season of Full Swing surprised the hell out of me

[01:54] — Welcome to Get Messy

[01:55] — Lesson 1: Be proud that you keep showing up

[02:03] — Rory McIlroy, the career Grand Slam, and the Masters that kept escaping him

[02:46] — "I'm just so proud that I keep coming back and putting myself in a position to win"

[03:31] — What does showing up to win actually look like for you right now?

[04:37] — Choosing to stay in the game is a choice that keeps you in it for the long run

[04:37] — (And yes — Rory did win the Masters. Twice.)

[04:37] — Lesson 2: Reconnect with your original why

[05:35] — Justin Rose, a terrible round, and the younger version of himself that shifted everything

[06:27] — Your why doesn't care if you're having a good day or a bad day

[06:37] — What would younger you say about where you are right now?

[06:56] — Lesson 3: Use the rain delay

[06:59] — J.J. Spaun, a string of mistakes, and what he did when the game stopped

[07:28] — Two ways to use a quiet moment — and which one creatives almost always choose

[08:27] — The pause isn't the universe punishing you. It's offering you a reset.

[08:47] — Slowing down is what allows you to speed back up

[09:21] — If you're in a rain delay right now — how can you use it differently this time?

[09:41] — Lesson 4: As long as you're in the game, you have a chance to win

[09:41] — Ben Griffin, leaving the sport in debt, and the sponsor who changed everything

[11:02] — The year I had my worst voiceover season — and what my agent and coach said that cracked me back open

[11:43] — Reopening yourself to the possibility that it could be you

[12:00] — One month later, I booked the biggest campaign of my career

[12:30] — The only way to guarantee you don't win is to leave

[12:43] — Lesson 5: Zoom out on your own journey

[13:24] — "If someone told me this was my result on Monday, I would've taken it"

[13:44] — Your current chapter might be someone else's dream — including your own past self's

[14:23] — Lesson 6: Psychologically prep for your big moments

[14:27] — J.J. Spaun made it to the big moments — and then got scared to be in them

[14:48] — What mindset coach Amy Austin says about the feeling you're craving

[15:10] — The big moment doesn't always arrive as a wave of sunshine

[15:47] — How to start psychologically prepping now — not just strategically, not just visualizing

[16:13] — Lesson 7: Leave each shot where it belongs

[16:16] — Tommy Fleetwood's mantra: "Whatever shot you just hit, there's no use in letting it make the next one worse"

[16:31] — That bad audition? You're probably the only one still thinking about it

[16:47] — You don't have to drag your last shot into your next one

[17:07] — If this resonated, share it with a creative friend who's in a hard season right now

[17:10] — Sometimes the best thing you can do is remind someone to stay in the game

RESOURCES

• Listen to Get Messy: Limiting Beliefs, Career Growth, and What It Really Means to Double Down as an Actor with Amy Austin
• Listen to Get Messy: I Almost Quit Acting… | Experiencing Burnout, Therapy, and Creative Revival

✨ Connect with Maddie ✨

Explore Maddie's Website | @messywithmaddie